Nagpur: A massive synthetic drug racket with suspected links to Nagpur has come to light after Telangana Police seized 27 kg of mephedrone (MD), valued at around Rs 54 crore, before the consignment could reach the city. Four persons, including two alleged drug traffickers from Nagpur, have been arrested in connection with the seizure, while two other suspects identified as Chanda and Gopal are reportedly absconding.
The seizure, involving one of the largest quantities of MD reportedly linked to Nagpur, has raised serious questions about the extent of the synthetic drug network operating across Nagpur and the wider Vidarbha region.
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Apart from the MD, police also recovered around 40 kg of acetone, a chemical used in the processing of synthetic drugs. The seizure was made by a special team of Bibinagar and Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri police in Telangana after receiving information about the movement of a major drug consignment towards Nagpur.
The arrested accused have been identified as Chetan Madhukar Meshram (49) and Akash Ashok Gawande (31), both residents of Nagpur; Muvajmal Haq (25), a resident of Assam; and Upadrashtra Raman Murthy (65), a resident of Hyderabad.
Police are now intensifying their investigation to identify the intended recipients of the consignment in Nagpur and establish the financial and logistical network behind the operation.
Drug consignment intercepted before it could reach Nagpur
According to the investigation, the drug consignment originated from a laboratory located at Vetukuri in Telangana, where MD was allegedly being manufactured on a large scale.
Raman Murthy is suspected of being responsible for the laboratory, while investigators suspect that Chetan Meshram and his associates were involved in arranging the movement of the manufactured drug.
Police suspect that a substantial quantity of MD was prepared at the facility between August 5 and 7, following which arrangements were made to transport the finished product towards Nagpur.
Meshram allegedly travelled from Nagpur to the Kondamadugu area of Telangana in an SUV along with his driver, Akash Gawande, to collect the consignment. Acting on intelligence inputs, the police began monitoring the movement of the vehicle.
A special team subsequently intercepted the SUV in the Kondamadugu area.
The search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of 27 kg of MD and approximately 40 kg of acetone. The MD was estimated to be worth nearly ₹54 crore, according to the police.
The recovery immediately triggered an extensive investigation into the suspected Nagpur connection.
Nagpur names emerge during interrogation
Preliminary questioning of the arrested accused reportedly provided investigators with crucial leads regarding the intended destination of the drug.
According to police, two persons identified as Chanda and Gopal had allegedly arranged for the MD consignment to be brought to Nagpur through Chetan Meshram.
Both suspects are currently absconding, and Telangana Police have launched efforts to trace them.
Their arrest is expected to be crucial in establishing the chain connecting the alleged manufacturing facility in Telangana with the drug distribution network in Nagpur.
Investigators are also trying to ascertain who was supposed to receive the consignment after its arrival in the city and how the 27 kg of MD was to be distributed.
Rs 54 crore consignment raises questions over Nagpur’s drug network
The sheer quantity of MD seized has prompted investigators to look beyond an isolated trafficking operation.
A consignment of 27 kg of mephedrone, valued at approximately Rs 54 crore, indicates a well-organised operation involving manufacturing, transportation, financing and distribution, investigators suspect.
The police are now examining whether the seized consignment was part of a larger, established supply chain operating between Telangana and Nagpur.
The investigation is also focusing on whether the accused had been involved in transporting similar consignments in the past.
Investigators are scrutinising the accused persons’ mobile phones, call records, digital communications, financial transactions, bank accounts and previous movements to identify their associates and determine the scale of the suspected network.
The possibility of other suppliers, distributors and local-level dealers operating in Nagpur and other parts of Vidarbha is also being examined.
Chetan Meshram’s previous criminal record under scanner
The investigation has also brought Chetan Meshram’s previous criminal record into focus.
In January 2021, Jaripatka Police had allegedly arrested Meshram with two pistols and four cartridges.
His alleged involvement in the present drug case has prompted investigators to revisit his earlier criminal activities, contacts and associates.
Police are now examining whether his previous network had any connection with the suspected drug operation and whether he had been involved in other illegal activities linked to organised crime.
Who was to receive the MD in Nagpur?
The biggest question confronting investigators is the intended destination of the massive consignment after it reached Nagpur.
Who were the intended buyers? Who financed the operation? Who arranged the transportation from Telangana? And, most importantly, who is controlling the larger drug distribution network allegedly connected to Nagpur?
The answers are expected to emerge after the arrest of the absconding suspects and a detailed analysis of the financial and communication trails.
Investigators are also likely to question the arrested accused about previous consignments and identify the people who allegedly received or distributed MD in Nagpur and surrounding districts.
Nagpur agencies likely to step up scrutiny
The Telangana seizure has put the spotlight firmly on Nagpur’s suspected synthetic drug network.
With the consignment intercepted before reaching the city, investigators are now attempting to determine whether Nagpur was merely the destination for this particular shipment or whether the city has emerged as an important distribution hub for MD supplied from outside Maharashtra.
The role of the two absconding suspects, Chanda and Gopal, is expected to be particularly significant.
Their arrest could potentially reveal the names of additional suppliers, financiers, transporters and local distributors.
For now, the seizure of 27 kg of MD worth around Rs 54 crore has exposed what investigators suspect could be a much larger interstate drug syndicate, with its tentacles extending from a manufacturing facility in Telangana to the distribution network allegedly operating in Nagpur and Vidarbha.
