Thane, Jul 2 (PTI) The Thane police from Maharashtra have exposed a drug-making factory in Uttarakhand and arrested three persons involved in its operations near the Nepal border, an official said on Wednesday.
The success in the northern state followed an investigation into the seizure of drugs in Thane earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amarsingh Jadhav told reporters.
The Thane city police on June 1 arrested two persons, identified as Vishal Singh and Mallesh Shevla, after recovering 10.93 grams of mephedrone valued at Rs 35,000, he said. The duo told the police that they had procured the banned substance from Uttarakhand.
A team then visited Meltoda in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. “There, we discovered a drug manufacturing unit and seized machinery, chemicals, and other raw materials worth Rs 18,54,507,” Jadhav said.
However, the three persons running the illegal factory escaped before the raid. Based on further intelligence inputs, a second team was sent to Takalpur in the Champawat district, he said.
“Our team intercepted them near the Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh’s Kheri district and arrested them on June 28,” said Jadhav.
The three men have been identified as Om Jaigovind Gupta, alias Monu, and Amarkumar Laxmanram Kohli, both from Uttarakhand, and Bheem Yadav, a resident of Nallasopara on Mumbai’s outskirts, he said.
A local court in Thane has remanded the accused in police custody till July 5, the official said, adding that they are now trying to uncover the larger network involved in this drug operation.