Nagpur crime branch seizes MD worth Rs 1.54 crore from rented flat used for packing

A drug racket has come to light in Nagpur that has left even the police stunned. At a rented flat on Ring Road, MD (mephedrone) arriving from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh was being packed into small pouches and sold. The crime branch raided the flat in Narendra Nagar and seized MD worth Rs 1.54 crore.

The network was run by Vishal alias Fali Gupta, a notorious criminal from the Wathoda area. He is said to have given instructions to his associates over WhatsApp calls.

The flat is in Vijaya Apartment, adjacent to Ring Road in Narendra Nagar. People kept coming and going, but residents of the building saw it as routine. The racket ran from this flat. Shubham alias Doraemon Dilip Narwariya had taken the flat on rent at the instance of the ringleader, Vishal alias Fali Gupta.

Consignments of drugs were ordered to the flat from outside. They were divided into small pouches and passed on to peddlers in Nagpur. MD was ordered from Rajasthan, and at times the consignment was brought from Madhya Pradesh. The trade ran on orders. The alleged distributors based in Nagpur would say how much stock they wanted. Suppliers would then arrive at the flat in vehicles with the MD. It was packed into small packets there and preparations began for the next supply. Police are searching for people linked to the racket.

The ringleader, Vishal alias Fali Gupta, is at the centre of the investigation. He ran the network from outside Maharashtra. He stayed in touch with associates through WhatsApp calls and instructed them on packing and supply of the MD.

About 15 days before the raid, Gupta had also stayed at the flat. He was wanted by police in the case of the firing on corporator Shubham Motghare. Action had also been taken against him under MCOCA. He was travelling in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu with his girlfriend, Saheli Pandhram, and the two were arrested from there.

Police are now tracing Fali's contacts, mobile records and people linked to the supply. They hope these leads will take them to other members of the network.

Fali faces several cases, including murder, attempt to murder and extortion. Action has also been taken against him under the MPDA. Until some time ago he was an ordinary criminal in the Wathoda police station area. He has firmly established himself through MD trafficking.