Mumbai: Muslim clerics, leaders want drug kingpin Kumail Merchant to be hanged

After former Thane police informer Kumail Merchant's name emerged as a drug kingpin in November after one of his aides was arrested, Muslim clerics and other leaders of the community came together on Friday to chart a plan to fight the drug menace

After former Thane police informer Kumail Merchant's name emerged as a drug kingpin in November after one of his aides was arrested, Muslim clerics and other leaders of the community came together on Friday to chart a plan to fight the drug menace.

Moin Miya (centre) with other community leaders

Will soon meet CM
Moin Miya, a community leader who has carried out different campaigns anti-drug campaigns had gathered a bunch of Mumbra clerics on Friday. He said, "Kumail Merchant is a big peddler, who was informing the police for his safety. We will soon meet police commissioner Parambir Singh and hand him a declaration informing him that Kumail is involved in the drugs business along with different politicians, police officer, social workers and reporters and was running it without any fear... Such persons should be hanged, as they are not just killing one person, but the entire society." Miya and the others are also planning to meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to tell him about the drug menace in Mumbra.

Kumail Merchant

Gold chains, good cars
Merchant is a resident of Mumbra and was usually seen around the Thane commissionerate with good information about drug trade related activities. He wore four gold chains and carried four mobile phones as he roamed around in expensive cars. He told cops he has a construction and scrap dealing business. He also helped the cops bust the '2,000 crore ephedrine racket involving former actor Mamta Kulkarni and her husband Vicky Goswami. Sources said Merchant was just misguiding the cops with that information so that his own business could go on without attracting police's attention.

Merchant, who is allegedly also close to corporators, used to bribe them and even provide them drugs for their parties. Deputy commissioner of police, Thane, Abhishek Trimukhe, said, "Merchant's name has emerged during the investigation. We are probing the matter and he will be soon arrested. We will also see to it that further links
are revealed."

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