3 days ago
Luxury flat turned drug den: Three from Mumbra held in ₹2 crore mephedrone haul in Dombivli
THANE: In a late-night raid, the Manpada police on Thursday busted a drug racket operating out of a luxury flat in Dombivli's upscale Khoni-Palava area, seizing nearly 2 kg of banned synthetic drug mephedrone (MD) valued at ₹ 2.12 crore. Three young accused — including a 21-year-old woman — were arrested from the flat, all residents of Mumbra, who had allegedly been passing themselves off as call centre employees. Kalyan, India - June 27 2025: Manpada police officers display seized packets of mephedrone (MD) worth ?2.12 crore during a late-night raid at a high-rise in Dombivli's Khoni-Palava area on June 26.. Pic on Wednesday in India on 27 2025 - Story By Anamika Gharat ( Photo By Pramod Tambe)
The raid was carried out around 11 pm, following a tip-off received by the Kalyan Division's anti-narcotics team. According to deputy commissioner of police Atul Zende, the trio had rented the apartment under false pretences and were using it as a base to stockpile and distribute mephedrone across Thane and surrounding urban pockets. The network reportedly extended to school zones and youth-centric neighbourhoods.
Mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, is known for its cocaine-like high and dangerous health risks — including cardiac arrest, seizures, and psychosis.
When police stormed the flat, they found 1.93 kg of the drug packed for supply. While the prime accused was caught on the spot, his two accomplices — including the woman — attempted to flee but were tracked down and nabbed within hours. Police officials said the arrested woman played a key role in the logistics and delivery arm of the racket.
Investigators believe the accused had been friends since their school days and conspired to enter the drug trade to 'make quick money'. 'They had told their families they were working as interns at a call centre in Pune. In reality, they were living in a plush rented apartment in Dombivli and selling MD at prices ranging from ₹ 8,000 to ₹ 11,000 per gram,' said a Manpada police officer.
All three have been booked under multiple sections of the NDPS Act, including 8(c), 21(c), and 22(c), which pertain to the possession and trafficking of commercial quantities of banned substances.
Senior police inspector Sandipan Shinde and crime inspector Ram Chopde, who led the operation, said multiple police teams are now working to trace at least three more suspects believed to be part of the larger trafficking ring.
'This wasn't just a local supply module,' a senior official said. 'They were running an organised network from a high-security gated community, banking on the anonymity offered by posh urban housing.'
Officials said further investigations are underway to uncover the scale of their operations and whether the racket has ties to larger interstate drug syndicates.
