Mumbai to Mysuru: How a peddler's information led Maharashtra Police to bust ‘drug factory' in Karnataka
The Mumbai police informed that they came to know that MDMA was being manufactured in Mysuru while interrogating one Salim Imtiyaz Shaikh alias Salim Langda in the Maharashtra capital.
They further said that the garage, which was located on the service road of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Mysuru, was raided with the help of the Mysuru police.
However, a Mysuru police source said the fact that the Mumbai police came to know about the garage first has caused huge embarrassment to top police officers in Mysuru.
'The garage was taken on rent by an individual for Rs 20,000 per month. However, half of the portion was being used to manufacture MDMA… Though there are no documents, it is believed that the space was unofficially sublet for more than Rs five lakh,' the source added.
Meanwhile, soon after the raid, Mysuru Police Commissioner Seema Latkar ordered the suspension of Narasimharaja police station Inspector Lakshmikant Talwar, pending a departmental inquiry. City Crime Branch (CCB) Inspector Shabbir Hussain was given the additional charge of Narasimharaja police station. But Talwar's suspension was revoked a day later.
On Sunday night, Latkar and other senior police officers also conducted multiple raids at the houses of those who were previously involved in drug peddling in Mysuru.
On Monday, Karnataka Opposition leader R Ashoka attacked the government over the drug haul episode. He questioned what the home department was doing when an illegal drug factory was being operated in Mysuru.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said he has given clear instructions to the police to initiate action. 'If jurisdictional police are not aware of such activities and some other agency or state police carry out raids and make arrests, it means there are lapses. I have asked the police to take drug-related issues seriously,' he added.
Sources said the drug seizure by the Mumbai police has caused added embarrassment to the state government on account of Mysuru being the home district of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Punjab Vigilance conducts searches at real estate baron Ranjit Singh Gill's residence, hours after he joined BJP
Less than 12 hours after prominent Punjab real estate developer Ranjit Singh Gill was inducted into the BJP by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau conducted a search at his Sector 2 residence in Chandigarh on Saturday. The search was ongoing till this report was filed. No one was being allowed to enter or leave the premises. Gill is the founder of the Gillco Group, a real estate development company based in Mohali, Punjab, and was the 'halka in-charge' of Kharar for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) till he quit the party in July. He was widely tipped to join Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), especially after the sitting Kharar MLA Anmol Gagan Maan announced her resignation and decision to quit politics on July 19. However, she took back her resignation the very next day. Gill is a real estate baron and agrarian entrepreneur who began his career in real estate in Ropar in 1990 before moving to Kharar, where he founded the Gillco Group. The company is known for developing luxury residential, commercial, entertainment, and educational projects, including the notable Gillco Valley township, one of the largest in Mohali, spread over nearly 200 acres. Beyond his business ventures, Gill has been politically active. He was a close confidant of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and served as the party's general secretary. He contested the Punjab Assembly elections from Kharar in 2017 and 2022 on an SAD ticket but was unsuccessful, finishing third in 2017 and losing to Mann in 2022. Gill's assets were reported to be worth Rs 74 crore in 2022, a significant increase from Rs 29 crore in 2017, as per his election affidavit. He faced an income tax raid in December 2022 at his Gillco Valley office and residences in Chandigarh, alongside associates, with cash recovered during the operation. Additionally, an FIR was registered against him in 2021 under the Disaster Management Act for gathering more than 10 people against the district commissioner's prohibitory orders in force.
New Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Chhattisgarh court grants bail to two Kerala nuns in human trafficking-religious conversion case
BILASPUR: A special court in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur on Saturday granted conditional bail to three individuals — including two Catholic nuns from Kerala — who were arrested on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. Principal District and Sessions Judge (NIA Court) Sirajuddin Qureshi granted bail to Preethi Merry, Vandana Francis (both from Kerala), and Sukaman Mandavi, with conditions that they surrender their passports, furnish a bond of Rs 50,000 each, and provide two sureties. The three were arrested on July 25 at Durg railway station after a complaint was filed by a local Bajrang Dal functionary. The complainant alleged that the trio had trafficked three girls from Narayanpur and were attempting to forcibly convert them. Speaking to reporters, defence counsel Amrito Das said the court had reserved its order after a hearing on Friday. He noted that the prosecution had not sought police custody for interrogation and confirmed that the alleged victims had already been sent back to their homes. The case has sparked sharp reactions across religious and rights groups, with legal proceedings now expected to continue under court supervision.
Hans India
11 minutes ago
- Hans India
Afghan national, two others arrested in Jabalpur for running passport racket
In a major crackdown on identity fraud and illegal immigration, the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested an Afghan national, Sohbat Khan, from Jabalpur for allegedly operating a passport racket using forged documents. Khan, who had been living illegally in India for over a decade, is accused of facilitating the creation of Indian passports for Afghan citizens through fabricated residential and identity proofs. According to officials, two other persons have been arrested for helping him. The accused have been identified as Dinesh Garg, a forest guard currently posted in the Election Cell of the Collector's Office, and Mahendra Kumar Sukhdan, a resident of the Katanga area. Both are suspected of playing roles in document fabrication and procedural manipulation. Khan not only secured an Indian passport for himself in 2020 using fake documentation but also extended the service to Afghan associates residing in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Investigators have so far identified 20 suspicious cases linked to the racket, with financial transactions amounting to approximately Rs 10 lakh. Khan reportedly obtained a driving license in Jabalpur in 2015, which served as a precursor to his fraudulent passport application. He had also married a local woman, further embedding himself in the community. Among the confirmed beneficiaries of the racket are two Afghan nationals, Akbar and Iqbal, who received passports registered to fictitious addresses in Jabalpur. The ATS has widened its probe to identify individuals who aided the racket by preparing fake documents, facilitating police verifications, and retrieving passports from post offices under false pretences. ATS officials are currently interrogating Khan to uncover the full extent of the network and its operational mechanisms. The case has raised serious concerns about vulnerabilities in identity verification systems and the potential misuse of administrative channels.
