Chargesheet filed against drug racketeer Lalit Patil, 13 others held in Mephedrone racket

Police said Lohare, who has an ‘MSc Chemistry’ degree, is an original resident of UP who later shifted to Mumbai and is known to have worked with several chemical companies before allegedly becoming the ‘leader’ of a drug cartel.

Initially, the Pimpri Chinchwad police had arrested Lohare along with Lalit Patil and 20 others in connection with massive Mephedrone seizure case lodged at Chakan police station in October 2020, under sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. While all arrested accused including in this case were lodged in Yerwada jail in Pune since then, police said Lalit often managed to get himself admitted at Sassoon Hospital for ‘treatment.’

On September 30, 2023, the Pune city police arrested Subhash Mandal near Sassoon Hospital with possession of Mephedrone worth Rs 2.14 crore. Probe revealed that Lalit Patil, who was then admitted at ward Number 16 of the Sassoon Hospital for treatment of ‘hernia’, allegedly supplied the Mephedrone to his aide Mandal through a hospital canteen staffer Rauf Shaikh.

Two iPhones worth Rs 1.1 lakh each were seized from Lalit during a search at the hospital ward. An FIR was lodged against Lalit, Mandal and Shaikh at the Bundgarden police station under NDPS Act. While a probe into this case was on, Lalit escaped from the hospital on October 2. A separate offence was lodged against Lalit for escaping from custody.
During investigation, Pune city police arrested Lalit’s brother Bhushan, aide Balkawade and others in the Mephedrone seizure case.

Meanwhile, while probing another case, the Mumbai Police raided the Mephedrone factory operated by Bhushan in Nashik. And on October 17, the Mumbai Police arrested Lalit Patil from Chennai. Later, the Pune city police took him into custody for investigation.

While probing Bhushan and Balkawade, the Pune city police found that the Mephedrone factory in Nashik was started as per the planning done by Lohare and Lalit, when they were together lodged in Yerwada jail. So cops took Lohare’s custody from Yerwada jail for further investigation.

The police probe revealed that using Lohare’s expertise, the drug racketeers had allegedly set up Mephedrone factory initially at Mahad in Raigad district, later shifted to Ranjangaon industrial area in Pune. It was busted by the cops probing the Chakan Mephedrone seizure case. Probe revealed that as per Lalit’s guidance, Bhushan and Balakawade had allegedly set up the Mephedrone factory in Shindegaon MIDC in Nashik around December 2022.

The police invoked the stringent MCOCA in this case in November 2023. Also, police seized nearly five kilograms of gold that Lalit and three kilograms of gold from Balkawade that they had allegedly purchased using the money received by selling Mephedrone.