Mumbai: On July 30, the Sakinaka police raided a drug godown in Powai seizing 21.903kg of Mephedrone (MD) and chemicals worth Rs44 crore at Shop No. 9, Prathmesh Galaxy, Hiranandani.

The operation followed the dismantling of an interstate drug racket and a factory shutdown in Mysuru, Karnataka. In total, the police have seized 214 kg of MD, chemicals, and equipment valued at Rs434 crore, including an earlier haul of Rs390 crore.

Investigating Officer Dayanand Walave said: “In this case, we have already arrested accused. During further interrogation, one of them revealed that they were operating a godown in Powai. Subsequently, we raided the location. The godown was situated on the ground floor of a residential building. The ground floor of the building has several shops, and the upper floors have residential flats. The accused had told neighbouring shopkeepers building members that they were running a colour distribution business. Under that guise, they were storing drugs, chemicals, and equipment.”

The case began on April 24, 2025, with the arrest of Sadiq Shaikh, 27, in Sakinaka, caught with 52 gram of MD. Further investigation led to seven more arrests, including four from Mumbai, Gujarat, and Mysuru, and another four from the Mysuru factory. On July 25, Salim Shaikh alias Slim Langda, 45, revealed the factory’s location, leading to a raid on July 26 at a facility near Belavatha, Mysuru. An additional 4.53kg of MD worth Rs8 crore was seized from Kaman village, Vasai.

Three of the eight arrested have prior involvement in similar cases, with one facing 16 charges under the NDPS Act and for assault. The police, under Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade, suspect more individuals are involved and anticipate further breakthroughs.

Mumbai: The investigation into the massive Rs 390 crore mephedrone (MD) haul by Mumbai police resulted in the capture of an additional shipment of the illegal substance valued at Rs 44 crore from Powai on Thursday, an official reported.

In the X post from the official Mumbai Police page, it was mentioned that the Sakinaka police in a significant operation, the Anti-Narcotics Cell has confiscated 21.903 kg of M.D. valued at ₹43.80 crore, as well as chemicals utilized for its production, from a site situated in the Hiranandani area of Powai.

The team performed an adept inquiry, stormed the site, and seized 21.903 kg of M.D. along with manufacturing supplies, all hidden behind a paint storage warehouse. The overall worth of the confiscation is ₹43,97,04,000. Authorities confiscated over 187 kg of mephedrone valued at Rs 382 crore after a raid in Mysuru, located in neighbouring Karnataka, last week.

The investigation into the matter started in April this year when a man was apprehended with 52 gm of mephedrone in Sakinaka in western Mumbai. A detained suspect revealed that 22 kilograms of mephedrone worth Rs 44 crore and Rs 16 lakh in chemicals for its production were seized in Powai, officials reported.

The investigation has resulted in the identification of three additional individuals, from whom 4.5 kg of mephedrone, valued at Rs 8 crore, was seized. So far, eight individuals have been taken into custody in the case.

The overall seizure in this case has reached over 210 kg of mephedrone valued at nearly Rs 435 crore, according to the official. An additional investigation into the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act case is ongoing to identify the trafficking network and the supply chain of materials utilized to produce mephedrone

Navi Mumbai: Investigations into a complaint of a ‘digital arrest’ scam in Raigad has now been found to be linked with an international cybercrime syndicate operating across India, Nepal, Pakistan, Canada, China, and Bangladesh. Acting on a complaint filed in May, the Raigad Cyber Police have arrested 11 individuals, including tech-savvy masterminds, telecom insiders, and marketing agents.

The investigation started after a local citizen reported receiving a threatening video call on May 5 from someone posing as an official from the Telecom Authority of India. The victim was told that his identity had been misused for illegal transactions and that a Supreme Court arrest warrant was issued against him. To ‘settle’ the matter, he was forced to transfer Rs 66 lakh in multiple installments. The fraud was cleverly masked as a ‘digital arrest’.

“What appeared to be a standalone scam quickly revealed deeper layers. The Raigad Cyber police station found that the scam was just the tip of a pan-India and cross-border telecom exploitation operation run using forged company documents, SIP lines, and cloud-based calling servers,” Raigad Superintendent of Police Anchal Dalal said.

Abhay Santprakash Mishra, (29), a B.Tech Computer Science graduate from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh was found to be the mastermind. Mishra managed a network of five high-capacity telecom servers that placed over 62 lakh spoofed calls in 28 days, including 86,910 targeting Maharashtra alone.

Mishra was found to be in constant digital communication with foreign nationals from Pakistan, Canada, Nepal, Bangladesh, and China, discussing the setup of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) lines, a telecom technology that allows voice and video communication over the internet — often without requiring user-level identification.

Using the alias ‘Alex,’ Mishra conducted encrypted conversations via Microsoft Teams, discussing fraud operations, lease line acquisitions, and telecom routing with international collaborators. “He was also preparing forged documentation to obtain permanent residency in Nepal,” Dalal said. Authorities have also identified properties linked to him in Nepal, Noida, and Hardoi, along with Rs 85 lakh in Bitcoin, as proceeds of crime.

Police found that the gang had created fake companies such as Nivi Cloud Pvt Ltd, Credil Info Pvt Ltd, Oxydeal, and others. These companies existed only on paper — supported by fraudulent documents, forged rubber stamps, and complicit telecom sales executives.

Two Jio Sales Managers, Balmori Vinaykumar Rao and Gangadhar Gangaram Muttan, played a crucial role by accepting these fake documents via WhatsApp, signing off as company directors, and approving telecom SIP lines. These telecom lines were then used to make fake calls in the guise of CBI, ED, police, and other agencies.

Police also arrested Mohsin Mia Khan (35) from Delhi, who possessed over 6,175 SIM cards from providers like Jio, Airtel, BSNL, VI, Idea, and 13 foreign numbers — along with 26 mobile handsets. These SIM cards were being used to rotate identities, mask call origins, and bypass traceability.

The network involved a team of document forgers identified as Abdus Salam Barbhuyan, Nadeem Ahmed, Lairab Khan, Shadan Khan, and Mohammad Faisal Khan, all of whom played roles in setting up fake firms and laundering funds. Fake bank accounts, dummy directors, and proxy communications were used to route money, with over 112 bank accounts identified and Rs 66 lakh frozen so far.

Shams Tahir Khan, an MBA graduate from Rajasthan, acted as the SIP marketing conduit, onboarding international players and travelling with Mishra to Nepal, which is emerging as a safe haven for such cyber operators due to weak extradition oversight, said police.

Authorities have invoked multiple charges under IPC Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B, the Telegraph Act, and the IT Act. Assets across multiple states and countries are now under seizure proceedings.

Raigad SP Aanchal Dalal, who led the investigation, warned that ‘digital arrest’ is a fake concept. “Neither the CBI, ED, nor the Police call citizens through WhatsApp or ask for money to avoid legal action. Citizens are urged to immediately report such incidents to the Cyber Helpline 1930, 1945, or 14407, or visit the nearest police station,” she added.

Further investigations into the crime is being conducted by SP Dalal and Additional Superintendent of Police, Abhijit Shivthare, Inspector Rizwana Nadaf, Assistant Police Inspector Amol Jadhav, ASI Mohite, PN Tushar Gharat, PN Rahul Patil, PN Rajiv Zinjurte, PC Gurav, LHC Suchita Patil and LHC Puja Patil.