Mumbai: In a significant development in the suspected fatal drug overdose case, police on Wednesday told a magistrate’s court that prime accused Mahesh Khemlani had ordered 4,000 ecstasy pills from Europe and had them couriered to a co-accused’s residence in Ulhasnagar. The court extended Khemlani’s police custody till May 10.
Police also said that a USTD wallet was used to facilitate payment.
Vanrai police have arrested 12 individuals in the case, including Khemlani who is a Hong Kong resident. The first time, he had ordered 3,000 pills, and the second time, around 1,000. Khemlani’s lawyer, Pankaj Jadhav, argued before the court that no recovery had been made from his client since his arrest on May 1. “Police claim to have seized 935 ecstasy pills from Poladpur in Raigad, where Sahitya had reportedly tried to dispose of them before being intercepted in a nakabandi.
On Wednesday, police told the court that Khemlani had a “friend” in Europe from whom he had ordered ecstasy pills on two occasions. Police said that the involvement of a European supplier indicates the possibility of an international drug racket. Police told the court that the accused also got in touch with an agent for converting foreign currency to Indian rupees. Requesting the court for further custody, police said they need to track down this agent and question him. They further said that Khemlani and Sahitya also had a meeting in Goa and hence they need to travel to the neighbouring state to investigate whether the duo had links with any drug suppliers there. But nothing has been recovered from Khemlani, who is a trader and an entrepreneur,” Jadhav told TOI.
On police’s request, the magistrate’s court sent two other key accused — Vineet Gerelani and Ayush Sahitya — from judicial custody back to police custody for further questioning. They were sent by courier to Sahitya’s home in Ulhasnagar. Police alleged that Khemlani and Sahitya had met the European drug supplier at a hotel in Mumbai and they needed to investigate whether they had met any other suppliers.