Maharashtra Crime: RCF Police Bust Drug Factory In Karjat Disguised As Goat Farm; ₹24.47 Crore Mephedrone Seized, 6 Arrested, 2 Masterminds Absconding

Mumbai: In a major breakthrough, the RCF Police in Mumbai have busted a massive drug manufacturing operation being run from a rented bungalow in Karjat, leading to the arrest of Six individuals. The accused had been operating a clandestine Mephedrone (MD) factory under the guise of a goat and poultry farm.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Rehan Shaikh, Shiva Gupta, Rajan Subramaniam, Shonu Pathan, Arkan Memon and another one.

According to police, the accused were previously residing in Dongri and had recently shifted to Nerul. They had rented a bungalow in Sauli, Karjat, for ₹1 lakh per month, claiming it was for animal husbandry. However, the premises were being used to manufacture MD drugs on a large scale.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: RCF Police Bust Drug Factory In Karjat Disguised As Goat Farm; ₹24.47 Crore Mephedrone Seized, 6 Arrested, 2 Masterminds Absconding@m_journalist #karjat #Maharashtra #MaharashtraNews pic.twitter.com/DRK2xyPXqd

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The breakthrough came in March 2025 when police arrested one member of the gang with 45 grams of MD. Interrogation led to the arrest of four more peddlers from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, from whom 6.6 kilograms of the drug were recovered. Further probe revealed the existence of the Karjat-based drug factory.

Acting swiftly, a special team raided the Sauli resort bungalow and seized 5.5 kg of MD along with chemicals and raw materials used in its production. Officials said the ₹1 crore worth of raw material recovered from the site could potentially yield 150 kg of MD, valued at approximately ₹300 crore in the illegal market.

DCP (Zone 6) Navnath Dhawale revealed that the accused had kept goats and chickens on the property to mask the pungent smell from the MD chemical process, using animal waste odors to neutralize suspicion.

Police estimate that over the past three months, the accused had been manufacturing around 25 kg of MD every week—totaling nearly 300 kg, with a street value exceeding ₹600 crore. To avoid detection, the gang reportedly changed locations every three months, always renting isolated bungalows in the Karjat area.

Two key masterminds, a father-son duo, are currently absconding. The police are actively pursuing them and investigating the gang’s entire distribution network, financial transactions, and potential links to larger drug syndicates.

Additional Commissioner of Police (East Region) Mahesh Patil confirmed the scale of the operation and emphasized that efforts are underway to trace the money trail and other individuals connected to the racket.

Under the ongoing "Nasha Mukt Govandi Abhiyan" (Drug-Free Govandi Campaign), the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Zone 6 has busted a large-scale drug manufacturing unit in Karjat (Raigad district) and arrested six individuals, including one from the production gang. Drugs and raw material worth over Rs 24.47 crore were seized during the operation.

Since January 2025, Zone 6 police have been running the “Nasha Mukt Govandi Abhiyan,” under which 75 drug-related cases have been registered so far, and narcotics worth Rs 18.31 crore have been seized. On March 19, 2025, while patrolling in the jurisdiction of RCF Police Station, the special ANC team apprehended a man with 45 grams of Mephedrone (MD).

A case was registered against him under Sections 8(c) and 22 of the NDPS Act, 1985. Further interrogation and investigation led to the arrest of five more individuals involved in drug distribution from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. On May 15, the team recovered a stockpile of 6.689 kg of Mephedrone worth Rs 13.37 crore from the accused.

During sustained investigation, the arrested accused revealed the existence of a drug manufacturing setup disguised as a goat farming unit at Sawli Farmhouse, Kikvi, Karjat (Raigad).

One more accused was arrested from the factory location, and the team seized 5.525 kg of Mephedrone worth Rs 11.05 crore, along with raw materials and electronic equipment used in manufacturing, valued at Rs 1 crore.