As the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is making all efforts to put an end to the drug menace in the city, it recently revealed that Mumbai's Lokhandwala area in Andheri has become a hotspot and major hub of peddlers.
According to the data, 80 per cent of the drug cases that were registered over the past four months are from the western suburbs, while 60 per cent of it is just from Lokhandwala. The remaining 20 per cent cases have been registered in the eastern suburbs and south Mumbai.
The data also unveiled that the anti-drug agency has registered 51 cases across Mumbai, out of which, 17 are from Lokhandwala. In addition, over 100 drug peddlers and suppliers have been arrested in the last four months. Of these, around 70 people were arrested from the western suburbs, including 35 from Lokhandwala.
The agency also said that since the big gangs had been neutralised, smaller peddlers were bringing drugs from Thane, Nallasopara, Vasai and Virar. Sameer Wankhede, NCB zonal director mentioned in some cases, it has come to light that they are taking the help of Nigerian gangs to get the supply.
Also Read: People who consume drugs should be sent to rehab, not jail: Nawab Malik
The agency believes that multiple factors were responsible for the high demand for drugs in the area. Lokhandwala is the hub of struggling artistes, trying to make it to the film and television industry, and their unsuccessful attempts often push them towards drug consumption. The area is also known for its high-profile residences, where people have the money to pay for drugs.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, June 1, the NCB arrested drug peddler Haris Khan after it conducted raids in several areas in Mumbai including Lokhandwala, Bandra and suburban Andheri. The drug peddler was arrested over his alleged links with gangster and drug peddler Parvez Khan alias Chinku Pathan, an associate of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, an NCB official said on Wednesday, June 2.
The probing agency will also investigate Khan's role in a drug case linked to Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death last year, reports suggested.
In another case on Wednesday, June 2, a 20-year-old drug peddler in Mumbai’s Lokhandwala and seized 157 gram of mephedrone and INR 15 lakhs from his possession. The NCB is on the lookout for his aide, considered to be one of the major suppliers of the drug in the locality.
The first major supplier nabbed by the NCB during their investigation of the Sushant Singh Rajput drug case was Karamjeet alias KJ.
Also Read: NCB busts drug racket which sold substance worth INR 1,500 crore in 5 years
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