25 January,2021 06:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Arif Bhujwala
Even before a team from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) reached the city's most wanted drug lord Arif Bhujwala's Dongri residence to conduct a raid last Wednesday, he escaped from the spot. Locals suspect that Bhujwala, believed to be a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim's brother Anees Ibrahim, might have fled the country but the drug cops have denied the claim saying a Look Out Circular (LOC) had already been issued in his name. According to the NCB, Bhujwala became one of the biggest suppliers of Mephedrone in Mumbai and across the country over the past five years. Sources in the NCB said that as per the initial investigation, it has been found that he invested in property worth R100 crore and also owned multiple high-end cars and bikes, some of which the agency has seized.
Drugs and cash seized from his factory in Dongri
Following a raid led by NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede at Bhujwala's Noor Manzil residence in Dongri, the agency found that he was running a drug manufacturing factory just 700 metres from the Dongri police station. According to the NCB, he owns a dozen cars, including Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Pajero, Toyota and Hyundai and high-end bikes and electronic gadgets. The cops have seized a Hyundai i10, Toyota, SUV and scooty. After getting details of the vehicles owned by him, the NCB asked the RTO to cancel their registrations. So far, the agency has got details about four flats, two shops and a 33-acre agricultural land owned by him. According to them, the plot is worth around Rs 30-40 crore.
Car missing
After the agency received a tip off about one of his BMW cars and scooters parked at the Sassoon Dock, they rushed to the spot and told the staff that they would seize the vehicles and asked them to ensure that nobody took them away. The cops did not lock the wheels to keep the operation a secret. "When we went back to the spot the next day, the car was not there. We found only the scooter," an NCB officer said.
Cops recovered a revolver
On asking the parking manager, he said that a number of vehicles move in and out daily and someone must have taken away the car in the midst of all of that. The agency has collected CCTV footage from the spot, and are on the lookout for the person who drove away the car.
"To evade the police, Bhujwala never purchased property in his name. Most of what we have identified is in his wife Anwar Pari's name, whose statement was recorded on Sunday. The process will continue on Monday as well," said an NCB officer.
Cash amounting to almost Rs 2.18 crore and drugs from Arif Bhujwala's residence and factory in Dongri
Investigation has also revealed that he does not have any social media accounts and would change sim cards every two days. "We will be writing to the Mumbai Police soon to get further details about him and whether any criminal cases have been registered against him," the officer added.
Chinku Pathan, grandson of the late underworld don Karim Lala, who was recently arrested
Chinku's arrest
Following the arrest of Parvez Khan alias Chinku Pathan, grandson of late underworld don Karim Lala, the NCB thought he was the kingpin of the drug racket in the city but his interrogation led them to Bhujwala. Probe has revealed that hundreds of drug suppliers worked under Bhujwala and similarly, Chinku was helping him to expand his business. "Bhujwala built his empire in the last five years and has managed to escape arrest by multiple agencies," the officer said.
According to the officer, a diary that they recovered during the raid reveals that Bhujwala was selling drugs worth Rs 80 to Rs 90 lakh daily. The agency has also found that the total cost of procuring, processing and manufacturing 1 kg of MD was R1 lakh, which he used to sell to the peddlers for about Rs 8-10 lakh. The suppliers would then sell those to their customers at Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per gm and earned Rs 15 to Rs 20 lakh from each kg of MD.
During the raid, the cops recovered a revolver and cash amounting to almost Rs 2.18 crore. Further, they seized 5.69 kg of MD, 1 kg of Methamphetamine, 6.126 kg of Ephedrine and a huge stash of packing materials, utensils, weighing scales and other apparatus used to manufacture drugs.
Multiple CCTV cameras
Sources in the NCB said that Bhujwala was operating like Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar, and had covered the entire building and lab with multiple CCTV cameras to evade the police. "His men used to keep a close watch on movements near the building. They would inform him even if an unknown vehicle was spotted approaching the building a kilometre away," the officer added. Till now, the NCB has arrested a total of five people linked to Bhujwala. On Saturday, the officials nabbed a Bhiwandi-based jeweller Vicky Jain, who allegedly financed Bhujwala's business. Jain was produced in holiday court on Sunday and remanded to NCB custody till January 27. During Chinku's interrogation the NCB got to know about another supplier in Pune's Khadakwasla. But accused Raju Sonawane managed to escape even before the cops reached the spot.
Rs 100 cr
Value of property Bhujwala has invested in
