The MBA student, the peddler, the bribed guard: How drugs reached Mumbai’s NESCO concert floor and killed two people

Here is a look at those allegedly involved in the NESCO concert case, all of whom have been arrested, and the events that led up to the tragedy:

Student Victims

According to the police remand application, Shreya Rai, 24, and Sheetal Salvi, 25, second-year MBA classmates at a prominent management institute in South Mumbai, had gone to attend a concert at the NESCO Exhibition Centre on April 11 with a group of 19 friends.

While dancing in the crowd, both suddenly began experiencing dizziness. They were admitted to a trauma hospital around 12:30 am on April 12 and later shifted to Bombay Hospital as their condition turned critical. Rai was declared dead that afternoon. Salvi survived and is recovering.

A third victim, Bismat Singh Amarjit Singh Bhasin, 28, a resident of J S Hall, Churchgate who wasn’t part of the above student group, had consumed alcohol and was dancing when he began to feel unwell, as per the remand application. He was admitted to Lifeline Medicare Hospital, where he later died during treatment. Police believe he too had consumed pills along with alcohol. Viscera has been collected and sent for forensic analysis. The formal cause of death has not yet been established pending the forensic report.

Following the two deaths, the Vanrai police registered a case under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, along with relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act and the NDPS Act.

Student ‘Distributors’

According to the remand application, the drug supply ring involved several students from the same prominent management college in South Mumbai, who allegedly leveraged their social and academic connections to distribute narcotics within their peer group.

Among those is Prateek Brijesh Pandey, 24, a second-year MBA student and classmate of the victims, who allegedly acted as the primary procurement link. After learning about the NESCO concert, he allegedly placed an order for 21 ecstasy pills through his long-time friend and alleged peddler, Anand Patel, and the contraband was allegedly delivered to him at his South Mumbai hostel.

Raunak Rahul Khandelwal, 25, also a second-year MBA student and classmate of the victims, allegedly served as the internal distributor at the venue, allegedly passing the pills to his classmates, including Salvi and Rai, while at the concert. Salvi’s statement, as cited in the police remand application, confirmed that they received the “Mercedes” ecstasy pills directly from Khandelwal during the event.

The Peddler Chain

According to the police remand application, Ayush Vickey Sahitya, 24, a resident of Ulhasnagar, is considered by investigators to be the main supplier of the ecstasy pills. He allegedly operated in financial partnership with Vineet Sunil Garelani, 22, a recent graduate of a prominent South Mumbai college, with their drug-related dealings allegedly documented through UPI transactions.

During a search of Garelani’s residence, police recovered five “Mercedes” ecstasy pills. His lawyer Azad Gupta said: “The police conducted searches at his residence and found five pills known as Mercedes and earlier they said my client had supplied ecstasy, now see what will come in the forensic report. Taking money through UPI cannot prove the connection of drug syndicates. He has taken money for his personal use from Ayush.

Anand Laxman Patel, 24, a resident of Khadakpada in Kalyan, allegedly served as the vital link between the professional suppliers and the student buyers. According to the remand application, since he had been friends for several years with Pandey, he was the person Pandey contacted to place the order.

After allegedly procuring the pills from the Sahitya-Garelani partnership, Patel allegedly handed them to Shubh Agarwal for the final leg of delivery. Patel’s lawyers Surendra Landge and Azad Gupta said police had not recovered any contraband from their client’s house during searches, and that the accusations against him were untrue.

Shubh Agarwal, 22, a management student at an Andheri-based college who lived in the same Kalyan locality, allegedly acted as the physical courier. According to the remand application, on Patel’s instructions, he allegedly took the 21 ecstasy pills and delivered them to Pandey’s hostel in South Mumbai. He is currently in police custody until April 20, represented by lawyers Surendra Landge and Azad Gupta.

All four — Sahitya, Garelani, Patel and Agarwal — were present at the NESCO concert despite none of them having valid passes.

Police allege they bribed a security guard to gain illegal entry into the venue.

The Organisers and Venue Management

Akash Banmari Samal, 31, proprietor of Inspiring Tie Production, the firm that organised the concert in tie-up with NESCO, is, according to police, legally responsible for ensuring attendee safety.

Police claim he allegedly failed this responsibility by allowing drug peddlers to enter and operate within the venue. The organisers are also under scrutiny for allegedly supplying alcohol to some participants in violation of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act.

NESCO Vice President Balakrishnan Balram Kurup, 46, and Sunny Vinod Jain, 31, an employee tasked with handling security, were arrested for their roles in managing the venue during the event. Their lawyer told the Borivali magistrate court on April 16 that his clients had taken all required permissions for the concert and followed all security protocols, adding that the company had been organising events at NESCO since 1995, including international exhibitions, without any such incident.

Pradeep Gupta, 28, a security guard employed by SafeCare, a private agency contracted by NESCO, was posted at the entry gate.

Police allege that Gupta accepted bribes from four members of the drug supply chain — Ayush Sahitya, Anand Patel, Shubh Agarwal and Vineet Garelani — allegedly allowing them to enter the concert without valid passes and bypass security checkpoints.

Gupta is currently being questioned to determine whether other employees of his security firm were involved in or aware of the arrangement.

NESCO issued a statement saying it maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy towards illegal substances on its premises and that there had been no lapse or negligence on its part.

“In relation to this incident, the employees Jain and Balkrishna have discharged their responsibilities in accordance with established procedures and without any wrongdoing. We have full confidence that the ongoing investigation will establish the same,” the statement said. However, a defence lawyer for one of the accused, speaking on condition of anonymity, called it a complete failure of the Vanrai police. “They had no intelligence about peddlers operating inside the concert, and now they are arresting a security guard,” the lawyer said.