Mumbai Police’s Vanrai Police Station has arrested a key accused wanted in connection with the death of two MBA students due to alleged drug overdose during a music concert at Goregaon’s NESCO Centre. The accused has been identified as Mahesh Hero Khemalani alias Mark.
According to police, Mahesh had fled to Thailand soon after the case was registered. A Look Out Circular (LOC) had been issued against him by Mumbai Police. He was arrested late on Thursday night upon his arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from Thailand.
Following his arrest, he was produced before the court, which remanded him to police custody till Monday, May 4. Police suspect that several shocking revelations related to the drug racket may emerge during his interrogation, as he is believed to be the main accused in the case. He is the twelfth accused arrested in the matter so far.
The case pertains to the death of two MBA students who allegedly consumed drugs excessively during a music concert held at NESCO Centre in Goregaon. Vanrai Police had registered an FIR under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Prohibition Act, and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Earlier, police had arrested eleven accused in the case, including Raunak Rahul Khandelwal, Akash Banmari Samal, Sunny Vinod Jain, Balakrishnan Balram Kurup, Pratik Bijesh Pandey, Anand Laxman Patel, Vineet Sunil Gerelani, Shubh Ramlakhan Agrawal, Ayush Vicky Sahitya, Pradeep Arvindkumar Gupta, and Jia Rachel Pradeep Jacob. All of them are currently in judicial custody.
During interrogation, Mahesh Khemalani’s name had surfaced as the alleged mastermind who supplied drugs to the other accused. Police investigations revealed that he had absconded to Thailand, following which alerts were issued at all international airports.
Sources said Mahesh was detained by immigration officials after the LOC was flagged at the Mumbai airport. He was later handed over to Vanrai Police, whose special team formally arrested him.
Police investigations have further revealed that Mahesh was allegedly in a relationship with co-accused Jia Jacob, an artist, and both were reportedly living together in Mira Road. Officials said Mahesh was operating a private bank account belonging to Jia, through which financial transactions worth Rs 40 to Rs 50 lakh were carried out.
Police are now probing the source of these funds, suspected to be linked to drug trafficking. Investigators are also trying to ascertain who supplied drugs to Mahesh, whether he operated his own drug manufacturing unit, and whether he was involved in an international drug trafficking network.
Mahesh is reportedly a resident of Hong Kong and engaged in the import-export business. Police are investigating whether this business was used as a front to transport narcotics into India and abroad.
Officials said Mahesh will soon be confronted with the other arrested accused, and searches at his residence are likely to be conducted shortly. Police believe his interrogation could expose deeper links in the international drug syndicate.