Navi Mumbai: Drugs by students, for students, via vegetable vendors

The engineering students had been operating the racket for the past few months

The Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch busted a drug cartel run by engineering students who sold drugs to other students through a vegetable vendor. The police have arrested the vegetable vendor and one engineering student in the case, while the student's associate, who is also an engineering student, is suspected to have fled the country. Police said they have recovered a consignment of LSD paper worth Rs 8 lakh from the gang. Police sources said the drugs were brought from Goa and supplied to college students across the city and other parts through a syndicate of engineering students.

The accused, identified as Onkar Sanjay Kutale, 23, a resident of Panvel who worked as a vegetable vendor, and Lalit Sunil Pawar, 24, a resident of Panvel who is an engineering student in a Navi Mumbai college.

Both accused have been sent to police custody for 3 days. Representation pic

The officials first arrested Kutale, the vegetable vendor who was doing a side business of selling LSD paper. "During the investigation, he revealed that he was selling drugs to college students. He confessed to purchasing the drugs from Pawar. So, we then arrested Pawar. On questioning, Pawar confessed he got the LSD drugs from another engineering student who is wanted and said to have fled away. The search operation is on. They were getting the drugs from Goa and we are working to trace the main dealer or supplier," said a police officer.

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The team headed by Neeraj Chaudhary, senior police inspector carried out the operation under the guidance of Amit Kale, DCP, Navi Mumbai Crime Branch.

A case has been registered at Panvel police station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act. "The 53 LSD paper weighed around 1.32 grams. As the paper is lightweight, it is easy to carry in a bag," said DCP, Amit Kale.

"The LSD paper brought from Goa is low-quality paper mostly made by Nigerian nationals who are in the supply chain. The original LSD paper or LSD dot is from Amsterdam, which Russians make. However, we will send the drugs for forensic analysis to check the quality of the drugs," said a police officer.

The police said Pawar was first addicted to the drugs and later, to keep the addiction alive, he entered the selling business and was operating for the past few months.

Neeraj Chaudhary, senior police inspector, said, "Both of them were arrested on Tuesday. They were produced in court and remanded in police custody for three days."

The international rate of LSD paper is between R10,000 and R15,000 while the cost of the local low-quality drug is between Rs 3,000 and Rs 7,000.

2
No. of people arrested so far

53
No. of LSD papers seized