In a two-month operation, the Mumbai police, which confiscated mephedrone with an estimated value of Rs 300 crore, has apprehended another suspect. This individual is alleged to have provided both the formula for producing the prohibited substance and the necessary workforce to establish a manufacturing facility in Nashik district, Maharashtra.
With the latest arrest, the police have apprehended 18 persons for their involvement so far, he said. A team from Saki Naka police arrested Harish Pant from his residence in Vasai in neighbouring Palghar district on Thursday evening, the official said.
Pant, who hailed from Dehradun in Uttarakhand, had allegedly provided the formula for manufacturing mephedrone in large quantities and had helped the other accused Lalit Patil and his brother Bhushan Patil to set up the factory, he said. Pant, along with the other accused, was presented before a court on Friday and has been placed in police custody until October 30, as confirmed by the official.
During a two-month operation, the police apprehended multiple individuals from different cities and confiscated mephedrone with an estimated worth of Rs 300 crore. Additionally, on October 5, they dismantled a drug manufacturing facility located in the Shindegaon MIDC industrial area within Nashik district.