Is Mysuru emerging as a drug racket hub?
On 26 July, Mysuru, a heritage city and educational hub located approximately 145 kilometres from Bengaluru, was shaken after Mumbai police raided a 'car garage' in Unnati Nagar on the Ring Road, near the Bannimantap area, which was being used to produce banned drugs.
The Maharashtra Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) busted a clandestine drugs factory in Mysuru, seizing a whopping 187.97 kg of mephedrone, worth ₹381.96 crore, and arrested four people earlier this week.
The 'garage' in Belavatta, within the Narasimharaja police station limits, was allegedly being used to manufacture MDMA (ecstasy), a synthetic stimulant drug to be sold in metropolitan cities, including Mumbai. The ANC had previously seized four kilos of the drug, valued at ₹8.04 crore, from Kaman village in Vasai. The total value of the drugs (192.53 kg of mephedrone) seized by the team during this operation reached ₹390 crore.
Over 192 kilos of raw chemicals, including isopropyl alcohol, acetone, chloroform, and magnesium sulphate, were also recovered along with distillation equipment.
The police arrested four people—Firoz Moula Sheikh from Andheri, Mumbai; Sheikh Adil from Surat, Gujarat; Syed Mehfooz Ali from Bharuch, Gujarat; and a local—under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
In its earlier operations, the police had arrested four others from Mumbai and Vasai. The police have intensified the probe as they believe there are different cartels for drug production and drug peddling.
According to sources, the garage was rented by a man named Ajmal, who, in turn, rented the premises to another person for a rent of ₹1 lakh. The car garage served as a decoy for the drug factory in the backyard. The gang used to shift its 'production unit' every two months and had previously operated in Palakkad (Kerala) and Nashik (Maharashtra) but had fled to Karnataka following police raids. They had set up the 1000-sqft unit in Mysuru 20 days ago. At the time of the raid, the culprits had hoarded the raw material to produce the drug (to convert the liquid form into powder).
Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti stated that the seizure of ₹390 crore worth of Mephedrone from Mysuru was a "significant milestone" in their continued efforts to eliminate drugs from their very source. However, the raid has raised serious questions about the Karnataka police's efficiency in keeping the drug menace in check.
Home Minister G Parameshwara admitted that it was "concerning" to see drugs being manufactured on such a large scale in Mysuru. "I admit there have been lapses on our part. I have asked the senior officials to take appropriate action," said Parameshwara.
The Trail
The Mysuru unit is said to be a key supplier in Mumbai's drug racket and was busted following a lead given by a drug peddler in Vasai (Palghar district). The police began investigating the racket after a person selling MD was arrested within the limits of the Saki Naka police station in Mumbai in April. Salim Imtiaz Sheikh (Salim Langda), 42, a resident of Rahul Nagar in Bandra West, was believed to be a crucial link in the racket, having sourced MD from Mysuru.
BJP Yuva Morcha state president Dheeraj Muniraju, who led a protest in Mysuru on Tuesday, demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara should resign, alleging they had failed to crack down on the drug factory that was in their own backyard until the Mumbai police busted it.
Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Wadiyar admitted it was a cause for alarm that drugs were being manufactured in Mysuru. "We must treat this issue with seriousness. I will draw the attention of the Union Home Ministry to this growing menace," said Wadiyar, also admitting that locals had nicknamed the city's parks after different drugs, implying that the drug menace was a growing concern for the cultural city.
Leader of the opposition R Ashok demanded to know if the state government had "tied the hands" of the state Home Department. "A drug factory has been busted in the Chief Minister's home district by Mumbai police. The CM's son claims that his father's contribution to Mysore has been greater. Now, who allotted the land to set up this drug factory?" mocked Ashok.
Interestingly, police inspector Lakshmikant Talwar, who had been suspended by City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar pending a departmental inquiry, was reinstated within 24 hours.
The Mysuru city police have formed seven teams and intensified anti-narcotics raids in the city. The Police Commissioner led raids across 59 godowns in Nazarbad, KR Mohalla, Udayagiri, and Mandi Mohalla areas, and searched medical shops, godowns, garages, lodges, PG hostels, parks, and public places, warning against the possession or consumption of drugs.
"After the drug haul, we launched an operation against the drug racket and have so far filed 33 cases against 28 people for drug consumption and five for drug peddling," said Police Commissioner Seema Latkar.
India