Mumbai: A special NDPS court on Tuesday convicted six accused, including drug trafficker Sajid Yusufbhai Electricwala, in a 2015 case involving the manufacture of party drug mephedrone, commonly known as MD. Special judge Shudhirkumar Murlidharrao Bukke will hear arguments on the quantum of sentence on Thursday after which the sentence will be pronounced.In addition to Electricwala, those found guilty were ‘kingpin’ Bhanudas More alias Bhavesh Patel, Sachin Bagul, Chandrakant Katade, Rahul Salunke and Ayub Khan. All accused were out on bail in this case.A seventh accused, Rajjak Rupani alias Chacha, alleged to be head of the syndicate, died during the pendency of the trial and the case against him was abated.Special public prosecutor Avdhoot Chimalkar led evidence to establish the recovery of MD and the existence of a manufacturing facility for preparation of the psychotropic drug. “The prosecution has also led documentary and oral evidence to establish that…Bhanudas More, who was the kingpin and main mastermind, trained the accused in the process of manufacturing the psychotropic substance…,” he submitted.It was also submitted that Khan was working as the conduit for the sale and disposal of the psychotropic drugs.Last week, More was sentenced to 15 years in jail in a separate case probed by the DRI in connection with the seizure of 238kg MD in 2017. He is in custody in that case.Citing the previous conviction, Chimalkar will seek an enhanced sentence against More on Thursday under Section 31 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act, which provides that maximum prison sentence and fine for the repeat offence are increased by 1.5 times.Following the conviction, Electricwala, who was kidnapped while on bail over a failed drug manufacturing deal in 2025 and subsequently rescued from Uttar Pradesh, sought be kept in a high-security jail.The case dates back to June 29, 2015, when police sub-inspector Narendra Trimbak Patil of the Anti-Terrorism Squad’s Charkop unit received specific information about the movement of MD in Oshiwara. Acting on the tip-off, an ATS team laid a trap near on Bhau Toraskar Marg in Jogeshwari West, where Bagul was intercepted. According to the prosecution, a search conducted after completing NDPS Act formalities led to the recovery of 1kg of mephedrone from Bagul.Based on information provided by Bagul, the ATS team then raided a flat in Ekdant Building in Oshiwara, where Electricwala, Katale and Rahul Salunke were found manufacturing MD. The prosecution said the raid led to the seizure of over 25kg of finished mephedrone, 25kg of semi-prepared raw material, and 100 litres of a mixture of liquid and solid substances, along with equipment such as trays, weighing scales, a dryer, sealing machine, thermometer, gas stove, glass jars, strainers, funnels, gloves and other materials used in the manufacturing process.An FIR was registered at the ATS police station in Kalachowki in the early hours of June 30, 2015, under provisions of NDPS Act. The prosecution said samples of the seized substances were sent to the chemical analyser’s office in Kalina, which confirmed the presence of mephedrone, a psychotropic substance notified under the NDPS Act by the Government of India on Feb 5, 2015.During the investigation, the ATS arrested Khan after his alleged role emerged. The prosecution claimed Khan had financially assisted Electricwala in the manufacture and sale of MD, following which Section 27A of the NDPS Act, relating to financing illicit traffic, was added to the case. The three other accused, also found to be part of the crime, were absconding and subsequently arrested.It was also claimed that the accused had used a vehicle for transporting chemicals, raw materials and prepared mephedrone. The vehicle was allegedly found to have been stolen from Gujarat and fitted with a fake Maharashtra registration number. The probe also led to allegations of forged documents, including a driving licence allegedly bearing Electricwala’s photograph but issued in another name.The prosecution further relied on call detail records, bank statements, witness statements, chemical analysis reports and evidence of purchase of chemicals and manufacturing material. It alleged that the accused were in contact with one another and had conspired to procure chemicals, manufacture mephedrone and sell it illegally.The charges in the case included criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and offences under the NDPS Act relating to possession, manufacture, transport, sale, financing and conspiracy involving mephedrone.
