In a massive drug bust, Delhi and Pune police have seized over 1,600 kg of mephedrone — often referred to by its street name, ‘Meow Meow’ — from locations across Delhi and Pune, police said on Wednesday, adding that the contraband was valued at over ₹2,500 crore.
The seizures in Delhi were conducted in a joint operation with the Pune Police after the latter had requested a raid in Delhi in connection with a drug bust in Pune, where over 700 kg of mephedrone have been seized, said an officer.
“A team of Pune Police’s Crime Branch conduct requested a joint raid in connection with a similar drug bust in Pune,” said DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan, adding that the Pune Police had already arrested three people in the case.
Based on the information disclosed by those arrested in Pune, police conducted a raid in Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur, recovering 300 kg of the drug. Two people were also nabbed, said the officer.
Upon interrogation of the accused, a further 600 kg of mephedrone was recovered from a rented shop in Hauz Khas’ Masjid Moth, leading to a total recovery of 900 kg of mephedrone from Delhi.
A total of over 1,600 kg of the drug has been recovered following raids in Pune and New Delhi, and three persons have been arrested, while two others have been detained in connection with the case, officials said.
Mephedrone is a synthetically manufactured stimulant falling in the amphetamine and cathinone category. The drug has recently risen in terms of popularity and consumption, with the price of mephedrone rising from about ₹900 per gram in 2021 to ₹20,000 per gram at present, indicating an increase in demand.
The three arrested accused in Pune have been booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act), officials said, adding the two other men are being questioned.
A police officer from the Pune Crime Branch added that preliminary investigations have revealed that the drug was transported from units in Pune’s Kurkumbh MIDC area, and stored at godowns in Delhi.
“We have arrested three people who worked as couriers. Two others have been apprehended and their interrogation is on,” he said, adding that the raids marked the biggest-ever drug recovery in Maharashtra by the Pune Police, and one of the largest drug seizures in the country.
Meanwhile, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said investigations were being done on a “war footing”. “Upward and downward linkages are being probed, and our teams are working in close coordination with other agencies,” he said.
On being asked if drug racketeer Lalit Patil was related to the narcotics haul, Mr. Kumar said no such link has been established yet. Mr. Patil had last year emerged as the kingpin of a drug racket that was busted by the Mumbai Police in a two-month long operation, which included the seizure of mephedrone worth about ₹300 crore. While Mr. Patil had earlier escaped from a government hospital in Pune, he was later arrested.
