In a major crackdown on an inter-city synthetic drug racket, the Nagpur Crime Branch’s Anti-Narcotics Squad seized 42 grams of mephedrone (MD) along with assets valued at Rs 3.06 lakh on Friday. The operation exposed a drug supply chain funneling contraband from Mumbai to Bhandara.
Based on reliable intelligence, officers set a trap between 12:15 pm and 3 pm near Rahul Complex, Bus Stand Road, Ganeshpeth. The team intercepted a suspect riding a moped and detained him in the presence of witnesses. The accused was identified as 28-year-old Arpan Manish Goswami, a resident of Raju Nagar, Bela, Bhandara.
Upon searching a parcel in his possession, officials recovered 42 grams of MD powder, a weighing scale, and the moped used for transportation — together valued at Rs 3,00,600.
During interrogation, Goswami admitted that the drugs were transported from Mumbai for street-level distribution in Bhandara. He named three accomplices — Khyber Jafri, Shadab Pathan, and Sadjama — all from Phule Colony, National Highway Road, Bhandara.
Goswami was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and handed over to Ganeshpeth police for further investigation. A manhunt is underway for the other suspects.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal and Joint Commissioner ND Reddy as part of the ongoing Operation Thunder, highlighting the spread of synthetic drug networks from metros to Tier-II cities.
