Drug haul: Evidence of 4 havala transactions to be attached

The Thane police has now got detailed evidence complete with photographs of up to four havala transactions carried out in connection with the multi-crore ephedrine haul, which it will attach with the next chargesheet to be filed soon.

Investigations have revealed that in the past two years, four havala transactions took place between Kenya and Mumbai. “Wanted accused, Kishor Rathod, had taken 100 kg ephedrine from the Solapur company. After chemically processing the same, he obtained a drug, which he sent to Kenya via a person at Mohammed Ali Road,” an officer said.

Empty packets were provided by Jay Mukhi, another accused in the case arrested last month. Drugs were then transferred into packets weighing 20kg each. After three days, drug kingpin and husband of former actress Mamta Kulkarni, Vicky Goswami, called from Kenya and gave a note number to Manoj Jain, another accused in the case who has also been arrested.

Thereafter money got transferred from Kenya to Mumbai via Gujarat. Sources said that the Thane police had cracked the havala transaction. They had got photographs and names of persons from whom money got transferred four times in the past two years. Officials were now preparing their next charge sheet and would add this information to that.

Sources added that Goswami had got a contract to deliver 100kg of MD drug per month for which he had asked his subordinates in Maharashtra (who have now been arrested) as to how much ephedrine would be required to manufacture that much quantity of drug. The Thane police is now also getting details of actors and actresses involved in this racket. CCTV footage of two hotels has been obtained which is being analysed by officials. However, they haven’t yet come across any actor’s entry in the booking pages of these hotels.

The Thane police, in collaboration with the narcotics department of Thane crime branch, on April 17 seized a huge haul of drugs worth Rs 2,000 crore from the outskirts of Thane. Among the drugs seized was 18,600 kg of ephedrine powder and pseudo ephedrine powder. The haul is said to be the biggest ever in the state.