Thane: A special court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Thane has convicted five accused and acquitted five others in a high-profile drug trafficking case investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), involving the seizure of large quantities of mephedrone (MD), ephedrine, methamphetamine, cash worth more than Rs 2.18 crore, firearms and multiple vehicles.

The Narcotics Control Bureau in 2021 had arrested members of an alleged drug syndicate run by Chinku Pathan alias Parvez Khan, who is said to be a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang and grandson of late underworld don Karim Lala.

The court convicted accused Parvez Naserullah Khan alias Chinku Pathan, Mohammad Salman Khan and Vikrant Jayantilal Jain alias Vicky Jain and sentenced each of them to five years’ rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 50,000 each.

The court further convicted Mohammad Arif Bhujwala and sentenced him to 15 years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 2 lakh, with an additional one year’s imprisonment in default of payment of fine.

Meanwhile, accused Haris Faizanullah Khan was convicted and sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000, with a further three months’ imprisonment in default of payment of fine.

The court convicted Parvez Naserullah Khan alias Chinku Pathan, Mohammad Salman Khan, Vikrant Jayantilal Jain alias Vicky Jain, Mohammad Arif Bhujwala and Haris Faizanullah Khan, while acquitting Rahul Kumar Verma, Zakir Hussain Fazal Huk Shaikh, Md. Aun Javed Haider Sayed, Mohammad Faaran Khan and Md. Zaman Hidaytullah Khan due to lack of sufficient evidence. One accused, Hussain Bilal Telwala, remains absconding.

“Thus, considering the facts and circumstances of the case and evidence on record and the judgments cited by both sides, I am of the opinion that the fact that Parvez Naserullah Khan alias Chinku Pathan was found in conscious possession of 3 grams of heroin is not proved. But possession of MD is proved from the evidence, though whether the weight was actually 52.8 grams or not is doubtful because though the sample sent to him was of 5 grams, he found it to be 3.4490 grams. Thus, I am of the view that the prosecution has proved that Chinku Pathan was found in possession of more than small, but less than commercial quantity of MD,” the court observed in its order.

According to the prosecution, the Narcotics Control Bureau received specific intelligence inputs on January 20, 2021, regarding alleged drug trafficking activities of accused Parvez Khan from his residence at Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai.

During the raid, officers allegedly recovered 2.9 grams of heroin, 52.8 grams of mephedrone, a pistol with five live cartridges, weighing machines, packaging materials, cash and jewellery allegedly purchased from drug proceeds.

The investigation later expanded to multiple locations in Mumbai and Bhiwandi. At premises linked to accused Mohammad Arif Bhujwala in Mumbai’s Noor Manzil building, the NCB allegedly seized more than 5.3 kg of mephedrone, more than 6.1 kg of ephedrine, 990 grams of methamphetamine and cash amounting to Rs 2.18 crore.

The prosecution further alleged that accused Mohammad Salman Khan was involved in selling MD to prospective customers, while Vikrant Jain was allegedly financing the illegal narcotics trade.

The court recorded that the prosecution examined 23 witnesses, including NCB officials, chemical analysts, panch witnesses, bank officials and forensic experts.

The judgment also notes that forensic examination reports confirmed the presence of mephedrone, clonazepam and other narcotic substances in several seized samples.

Mumbai: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced bypolls for two Rajya Sabha seats, including one from Maharashtra that fell vacant following the resignation of NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar earlier this month. The polling for the Upper House seat will be held on June 18, with counting scheduled the same evening.

According to the ECI, the Maharashtra vacancy arose after Sunetra Pawar resigned from the Rajya Sabha on May 6, even though her term was set to continue till July 4, 2028. A second Rajya Sabha bypoll has also been announced for Tamil Nadu following the resignation of C. Ve. Shanmugam.

As per the schedule released by the Commission, the election notification will be issued on June 1, while June 8 has been fixed as the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9 and candidates can withdraw their nominations till June 11.

Voting for the Rajya Sabha bypoll will be conducted on June 18 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting of votes scheduled at 5 pm the same day. The entire election process will be completed by June 20.

The Election Commission has also issued detailed voting guidelines for MLAs participating in the election. It clarified that only the integrated violet-coloured sketch pen provided by the Returning Officer can be used for marking preferences on ballot papers. Use of any other pen will render the ballot invalid. The Commission further stated that adequate arrangements, including deployment of election observers, will be made to ensure free, fair and transparent polling.

Mumbai: Police have arrested 19 people so far in connection with the stone-pelting and violence that erupted during the massive anti-encroachment demolition drive at Garib Nagar in Bandra East, even as Western Railway said nearly 90 per cent of the demolition work has now been completed.

According to police officials, 15 accused were produced before the Bandra court on Thursday and were remanded to police custody till May 26. Three more accused are scheduled to be produced before the court on Friday, while one minor detained in the case has been sent to the Children’s Remand Home. Police said the investigation is still underway and more arrests are likely in the coming days.

The violence had broken out earlier this week after tensions escalated during the demolition of alleged illegal structures near Bandra Terminus. Stone-pelting incidents and clashes with police had turned the area tense, leaving several police personnel injured and prompting authorities to register cases against over 100 people.

Meanwhile, Western Railway’s large-scale anti-encroachment operation continued for the fourth consecutive day on Friday under heavy security deployment. The drive is being jointly carried out by Western Railway, Mumbai Police, civic officials and railway security agencies to ensure law and order is maintained throughout the operation.

Addressing the media, Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek said proactive arrangements had been made to ensure the demolition process remains smooth, safe and efficient. He stated that around 90 per cent of the demolition work had been completed by the end of Day 3.

“In contrast to the riot-like situation witnessed on Wednesday, Thursday’s demolition drive remained peaceful,” officials said. Nearly 1,100 personnel and 13 machines were deployed on Thursday for what is being described as Western Railway’s biggest anti-encroachment drive in recent years.

Authorities said the operation is now focused on dismantling softer structures and upper-floor portions built above eligible hutments, while ensuring that ground-floor rehabilitation-eligible structures are not damaged.

Officials added that debris removal operations are continuing round-the-clock. “Work does not stop at night and debris-clearing continues continuously,” the railway spokesperson said.

The demolition drive is expected to continue till May 23, after which reduced manpower will remain on-site for post-demolition clearance and fencing work to prevent fresh encroachments on railway land.