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By:

Dr. Abhilash Dawre

19 March 2025 at 5:18:41 pm

Rs 27 crore worth narcotics seized; inter-state cartel uncovered

Thane : In a major breakthrough against drug trafficking, Mumbra police have seized a massive stockpile of mefedrone valued at approximately 27.21 crore. Acting on critical intelligence, the Narcotics Control Unit conducted a special operation extending as far as Madhya Pradesh, resulting in the arrest of five key drug traffickers involved in supplying large quantities of mefedrone to the Thane region.   The operation was led by Assistant Police Inspector Rohit Kedar and Ganesh Jadhav under...

Rs 27 crore worth narcotics seized; inter-state cartel uncovered

Thane : In a major breakthrough against drug trafficking, Mumbra police have seized a massive stockpile of mefedrone valued at approximately 27.21 crore. Acting on critical intelligence, the Narcotics Control Unit conducted a special operation extending as far as Madhya Pradesh, resulting in the arrest of five key drug traffickers involved in supplying large quantities of mefedrone to the Thane region.   The operation was led by Assistant Police Inspector Rohit Kedar and Ganesh Jadhav under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector Anil Shinde. The initial seizure took place near Bilal Hospital, where suspect Basu Sayyed was caught with 23.5 grams of mefedrone. Further interrogation revealed a large-scale supply chain sourcing drugs from Madhya Pradesh.   Subsequently, police arrested Ramsingh Gujjar and Kailas Balai, recovering an additional 3.515 kilograms of mefedrone from their possession. Investigations traced the supply back to two major traffickers Manohar Gurjar and Raju Mansuri based in Madhya Pradesh.   The Mumbra police team then traveled to Madhya Pradesh, arresting both Gurjar and Mansuri and confiscating a staggering 9.956 kilograms of mefedrone from them.   In total, the operation resulted in the seizure of 13.6295 kilograms of mefedrone, with a street value exceeding 27.21 crore. All five accused have been taken into custody.   According to police sources, the arrested individuals have prior records involving serious offenses under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Indian Penal Code, and Arms Act. They were engaged in trafficking mefedrone in bulk quantities from Madhya Pradesh to the Thane region.   This successful operation was carried out under the guidance of ACP Priya Damale (Kalwa Division), Senior Police Inspector Anil Shinde, Crime Inspector Sharad Kumbhar, and supported by the NDPS unit officers and staff of Mumbra Police Station.   Since January this year, Mumbra police’s NDPS unit has conducted 954 seizures and 58 raids, confiscating narcotics worth over 48 crore, significantly impacting drug trafficking activities in the area.

“We suspect tinkering of 1-cr votes”

Mumbai: As the Congress Leader of Opposition In Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi embarked on a high-voltage 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Harshwardhan Sapkal made a stunning claim that in the 2024 Parliament and Assembly elections, a stupendous ‘one-crore votes’ may have been manipulated to edge out the state Opposition parties. Excerpts from an exclusive chat.

 

The Congress is tomtoming a lot about ‘Vote-Chori.’

It's not a mere slogan. For the last three months, we’ve done our own investigation - collecting inputs, deep diving into the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s data. We believe that nearly 78-lakh votes were manipulated during the November 20–23, 2024 state Assembly polls.

 

Seventy-eight lakh? That’s a massive number.

If you consider the voter additions and deletions or unusual local swells in the 6-month gap between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, we strongly suspect the  figure could touch One Crore votes. We aren’t just crunching numbers. There are other factors, patterns that make this issue extremely serious.

 

What remedial steps have you taken?

Already, 50 writ petitions are before the courts, plus we’ve filed over 100 complaints with election Returning Officers. We’ve kept the State Election Commission fully informed. But this is not stopping here.

 

The civic bodies' elections are due soon, what’s your preparation?

Watch, Scrutiny & Vigil! Our party activists will maintain a 24x7 hawk-eye on the EVM-VVPAT strongrooms from the moment polling ends, until counting day. No more scope for mischief. In the next three months, we shall hold Division level brainstorming sessions to finalise candidates, local alliances, electoral and political strategies.

 

You are regarded as a stickler for accountability. Is that deliberate?

Absolutely. Accountability is non-negotiable. If a person is given a responsibility by the party, then how you spend your day, what activities you’ve taken up and the outcome, must be clear both to top leaders and grassroots workers. This isn’t about PR stunts. Claims can’t remain in the air, they must be backed by solid ground work.

 

Does it percolate within the MPCC?

As directed by the party high command, the work of each PCC Member will be reviewed annually. If they fall short, harsh decisions will be taken. Simply put, ‘everyone is on a one-year probation’, including me! (laughs). I have given my Report Card, others at all levels are expected to follow suit.

 

‘Accountability with Responsibility’

A soft-spoken, no-nonsense person with a dash of humour, MPCC President Harshawardhan Sapkal, 57, is known for his blunt talk, massive public outreach and an aggressive stance against the Mahayuti government on law & order, farmers, social harmony, plus other major issues.

 

The 25th state party head in 65 years (1960 onwards), Sapkal came out with a half-yearly performance card – billed as unprecedented - after he took over in Feb. 2025, listing his activities and achievements, terming it as ‘Accountability’ with major ‘Responsibility’.

 

Though he says all his campaigns were equally significant, the ‘Sadhbhavna Padyatras’ for saving the Constitution, safeguarding Democracy, Communal Harmony, Social Unity and Peace, grabbed huge attention in multiple districts this year, somewhat unnerving the Bharatiya Janata Party-Nationalist Congress Party-Shiv Sena alliance.

 

The Congress took out nearly four dozen ‘Jai Hind Tiranga’ rallies to salute the Armed Forces, candle-light processions focusing on irregularities in the 2024 Assembly polls, attacks on intellectuals and artists, several incidents of rape that raised questions on public safety vis-à-vis law & order, unchecked hate campaigns unleased by ruling party leaders targeting castes and religious communities.

 

Sapkal spearheaded agitations on stalled infrastructure projects, farmers’ distress, skyrocketing inflation, unemployment among youth, opposing the new Maharashtra Special Public Safety Bill, the compulsion of Hindi at the primary school level, attempts to polarize the society and other topics of mass concern.

 

Practically living in a suitcase, Sapkal hit the roads vigorously and toured 22 of the state’s 36 districts, engaging with party leaders-activists plus the common public, invigorating the Congress at the mass-level ahead of the civic polls.

 

“The Sadbhavna Padyatra was a campaign to safeguard Democracy and a historic initiative to curb corruption, communal politics and institutional collapse in Maharashtra. The MPCC will perform as the state’s ‘Watchdog’ to defend the people, from tense districts to urban flashpoints and reassure the masses that we are with them,” a determined Sapkal told ‘The Perfect Voice’.

 

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