26 September,2023 07:39 PM IST | Mumbai | Ainie Rizvi
Born in 1963, Shashikala Patankar grew up in a modest Mazgaonkar family at Worli Koliwada. File/Pic
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Many Mumbaikars know Shashikala Ramesh Patankar by her nickname âBaby.' Hailing from the 8x8 shanty in Worli's Siddharth Nagar, Baby ran a drug syndicate to infiltrate Mumbai's streets with the highly addictive, psychoactive stimulant: âMeow Meow'. Although she was arrested many times, her drug empire finally came to an end in 2015. Despite several legal cases, she managed to escape the bars.
Forward to 2023, Baby has returned again, facing allegations of swindling a Customs clearing agent on the pretext of supplying 5 kg gold at a cheaper price. Although no arrests have been made so far, the authorities at the Worli Police Station are planning to issue her a notice to appear before the court.
A seasoned outlaw, Baby's tryst with crime goes way back to the 80s era of Mumbai, informs Srinath Rao, the author of - "Meow Meow: The Incredible True Story of Baby Patankar."
From milk to Mephedrone: The rise of a drug queen pin
Baby transitioned from a humble milk vendor earning a few hundred rupees each month in the 1980s to the accused mastermind of a thriving drug empire. Her journey qualifies for a thick plot worthy of a Bollywood thriller movie. On a parallel note, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has announced a film to chronicle Patankar's astonishing rags-to-riches tale.
Sarthak (name changed due to privacy reasons), reveals how Mephedrone (MD) had gripped the city in the early 2000s. "From college students to young professionals - Everyone was hooked to it back then. It went by the name meow-meow and we always bought it from Baby. Her maal (stuff) was the purest and you could identify it from the faint yellow-coloured crystals that came in the shape of rice kernels. One hit and it made you feel energetic, confident and extremely happy - it was too addictive."
Baby had established an extensive distribution network, which allowed her to control a significant portion of the illicit drug trade. Her strategic positioning of mules in Mumbai's drug supply chain, coupled with the potent nature of the substance, attracted a vast clientele. As the demand for mephedrone surged, so did her profits.
With more patrons, came enormous wealth that Baby utilised to buy elaborate properties. She bought an apartment in Gorai, one in Palghar, multiple flats in Worli and Mahim, two plots in Savantwadi, a bungalow in Pune and yet this is just the tip of the iceberg. The police assert that Patankar possessed 22 properties in both Mumbai and Pune worth Rs 100 crore, along with fixed deposits amounting to Rs 1.2 crore.
So, what exactly is Mephedrone or Meow Meow?
The drug gained notoriety as a widely consumed synthetic stimulant in the early 2000s in Mumbai. This white, crystalline powder was often sold in small packets of 1 gram priced at Rs 2000. It became popular due to its euphoric and stimulating effects similar to those of traditional amphetamines or MDMA.
It was addictive as it triggered the rapid release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin in the brain, resulting in intense feelings of euphoria, increased energy, and heightened alertness. Users reported a strong desire to recreate these pleasurable sensations, leading to frequent and compulsive consumption.
However, Meow Meow was also notorious for its potential health risks. This led to widespread concerns about its usage and prompted law enforcement crackdowns on its distribution. Despite being illegal under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (2010), its accessibility and popularity made it a prominent substance in Mumbai's drug scene.
Innocence or ingenious escape?
In April 2015, Baby was arrested following the discovery of 112 kilograms of mephedrone in the residence of her alleged partner, Head Constable Dharmaraj Kalokhe, stationed at the Marine Drive Police Station.
However, as the case unfolded, forensic tests revealed that the substances seized were not mephedrone but rather the food additive MSG, also known as Ajinomoto. This revelation led to the discharge of Patankar from the case, as there was no material to implicate Baby and her nexus of drug mules. Now, this is a matter of speculation as to who placed more than 100 kilograms of Ajinomoto at Kalokhe's condo.
It is suggested by senior police authorities that Patankar might have manipulated not just Kalokhe but also the entire police establishment by deliberately providing the constable with ample ajinomoto and falsely asserting it to be mephedrone.
The case cast doubt on the integrity of the police investigation. Mumbai-based lawyer Ayaz Khan, who represented Patankar, opined that it was an easy case to crack. Patankar's seemingly cake-walk discharge brought to light the complexities of drug-related prosecutions, especially when a cop himself is involved in the operations.
Cut to 2019 - After four years of accusing Patankar and Kalokhe of having over 124 kilograms of mephedrone, and four forensic tests yielding inconclusive results, the police opted to charge them solely for possessing 20 grams of charas, imported liquor, and a forged voter identity card. Despite her legal victory, Patankar's story necessitates the need for effective law enforcement in the battle against the drug trade in the city.
The start of a criminal journey
The emergence of women in the drug trade or the operation of illicit liquor in Mumbai's slums was primarily driven by necessity. During the 80s and the 90s, they attracted less attention from the police compared to the men involved in similar activities.
Back in 1977, Baby was barely able to make ends meet by selling milk and working as a housemaid. Unable to pay rent for a tiny shanty at the hills of Worli Naka - she moved uphill and mounted her own home at the top of a hill in Siddharth Nagar. With very little to supplement her income - she gave in to the proposal of Baliram Pujari, an acquaintance who saw her as an asset in distributing drugs.
Baliram, popularly known as âMama' had established ties with dealers in Worli, Tardeo, and Victoria Terminus (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus). He procured one-gram packets of brown sugar and ganja wrapped in coarse paper through these connections and gave them to Baby. Her task was to sell these illicit drugs on the streets for two rupees each. With the dream to exit Siddharth Nagar and support her two sons, Baby decided to never look back.
Baby's tryst with Kalokhe
One day, her shanty was raided by burglars as Sidharth Nagar was not a safe place to reside in. Though she did not lose much after the break-in, she still reached out to cops at the Worli Police Station. Amongst them was Dharamraj Baburao Kalokhe - a cop who began to visit Baby's house multiple times under the pretext of investigating the burglary.
The meetings turned into a love affair which concluded in a marriage in 1996. Despite, Kalokhe being married along with two sons, he left his family and married Baby. Like his colleagues, he was also aware of Baby's nature of work. Yet, he decided to commit to her and aid her illegal business. Over the following years, he assisted Baby in many ways: Dropping consignments to other cities, inspecting and carefully hiding the drug contraband, getting anticipatory bail for his wife and protecting her from incrimination.
Tracing Baby's early history
Born in 1963, Baby grew up in a modest Mazgaonkar family with five older brothers. She earned her nickname, Baby, as she was the youngest offspring. Her father, Pandurang, worked as a taxi driver, while her mother, Kesharbai, looked after their home. They resided at Worli Koliwada - a fishing village in central Mumbai as one of the non-Koli families.
Fifty years ago, the Worli Koliwada lacked basic civic amenities. No public toilets were available in the neighbourhood, which forced residents to use the nearby seashore for their sanitary needs. Consequently, living at Koliwada became a frightening experience for women. In one such instance, Baby's sister-in-law was harassed which provoked a violent retaliation by Baby's brothers.
The brawl culminated in the assailant's death which led to the imprisonment of Vasant, Kisan, and Shatrughna (Baby's elder brothers). The series of tragic events filled Baby with hatred against law enforcement authorities, who also lost her parents shortly.
Following a short period of care from relatives in their hometown, the two youngest siblings, Arjun and Baby, came back to Worli Koliwada. Arjun secured employment at a garage, while Baby took on roles such as selling milk, working as a housemaid, and assisting at a fish stall.
When she reached the age of 15, she entered into marriage with Ramesh Patankar, a taxi driver who battled alcoholism. To support her family, Baby worked tirelessly in textile mills, where her duties included the inspection and repair of cloth. Despite the strenuous nature of her job, she willingly continued and later became unemployed when the mill operations shut down in 1982.
They say poverty is a vice. In Baby's case, the saying echoes her life which got entangled in Mumbai's drug scene. Out of desperation to survive, she did not sit down to distinguish right from wrong. From milk to mephedrone - each item became a step towards wealth accumulation which she always had to fight for as a young woman.
