A 43-year-old MSc Chemistry graduate, Vijay Katke, employed as a chemical engineer at a factory in Boisar, was arrested on Tuesday for manufacturing mephedrone, an illegal synthetic drug.
Police revealed that Katke took advantage of weekends when the factory was empty to experiment and successfully produce mephedrone. He then began regular weekend production of the drug at the facility.
The operation came to light last week when police arrested Farhan Khan from Jogeshwari with 71 grams of mephedrone valued at Rs2.8 lakh. Khan informed police that the drugs were delivered to him by cab driver Pratik Jadhav.
Following these leads, police traced Jadhav, who confessed to sourcing the drugs from Katke. Acting on this information, officers from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and Palghar police raided the chemical factory, seized mephedrone worth Rs11.2 lakh, and arrested Katke.
All three accused — Katke, Khan, and Jadhav — were produced in court and remanded to police custody under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
