Lawyer made MD in Kolhapur farmhouse, sold it in Mumbai

The arrested accused with the ANC team. Pic/Bipin Kokate

The Anti Narcotics Cell of the Mumbai police has seized drugs worth Rs 2.35 crore from a farmhouse in Kolhapur district. The farmhouse belongs to a lawyer who is absconding. The accused lawyer used to make the contraband, MD, himself and sell it to peddlers in Mumbai, said sources in ANC. He had built his image of a social worker in the area to evade suspicion, they said.

Sources said the lawyer, identified as Rajkumar Rajhans, used to deliver 8 to 10 kg of MD every month in Mumbai. Two people have been arrested in this case.

Accused Rajkumar Rajhans is absconding

The sources said that the Bandra unit of ANC arrested a 35-year-old alleged drug peddler, Cristina Maglin, alias Ayesha, alias Simran, from Sakinaka, with MD worth Rs 5 lakh on November 13. She told the cops that Rajhans had got the drug for her. Investigators also found that the MD had been brought from a farmhouse in Dholgarwadi in Kolhapur district. ANC officers from Bandra and Ghatkopar raided the farmhouse and recovered material to make MD worth Rs 2.35 crore, they said.

Nikhil Lohar, the caretaker, told the police that Rajhans made the drugs there. Rajhans had told the locals that he would open three schools there and give jobs to them. He had also given advances of Rs 5,000-10,000 to the local residents to win their trust.

Datta Nalawade, DCP at ANC

He would spend 3-4 days making the drug and then bring it to Mumbai in his Innova. In the city, he would hand over the MD to peddlers, said a source.

A police officer told mid-day, "Every week, Rajhans used to go to Kolhapur and come to Mumbai with drugs. Each time he used to bring drugs worth around Rs 3 crore. This way, he would deal in drugs worth Rs 10 to 12 crore every month."

Sources said Rajhans had given the farmhouse the look of a poultry farm. If anyone inquired about the smell, he would say that he prepared chicken feed.

Sources said Francis was a friend of Nityanand Shetty, who was the right hand of gangster Ravi Pujari. After Shetty's death, Francis entered the business of drugs. She had been in touch with Rajhans since 2017, they said.

DCP Datta Nalawade of ANC said, "Rajhans used to deliver drugs from his Innova car. He himself used to deliver drugs to the peddlers of Mumbai. He has been selling drugs for the last three years." Nalawade said they are also tracking down the peddlers who used to buy drugs from Rajhans.

Rs 2.35cr
Value of material seized from the farmhouse