Two arrested for peddling drugs via social media

During the search of HIngane resident Akash Mahendra Thakar (22), the police recovered over 47 grams of charas or cannabis concentrate, worth over Rs 47,000 in the illegal market. Search of Aniket Janardan Dhandekar (20) revealed 5.7 grams of mephedrone also known as Meow Meow, worth around Rs 86,000. Police also recovered cell phones and a bike from their possession.

Inspector Vinayak Gaikwad from the Anti Narcotics Cell said, “Both the arrested suspects are college dropouts. Primary probe suggests that the two suspects were selling drugs by contacting potential customers via messaging applications of social media platforms.”

Charas, also sometimes referred to as hash, is a cannabis concentrate produced after processing a raisin obtained from the cannabis plant. Mephedrone, also known as Meow Meow or White Magic, is a synthetically manufactured stimulant of the amphetamine and cathinone category. Till early 2010s, the drug was not included in the list of contrabands under the NDPS Act. But multiple seizures of large quantities of the drug and rising instances of its consumption as narcotic in large cities, prompted authorities to include it in the list in 2015.