Overview
- The Mumbai Crime Branch on October 9 submitted a 1,900-page MCOCA chargesheet with 45 witness statements in the June kidnapping–extortion case tied to a failed mephedrone deal.
- Investigators say 14 accused have been arrested and five are wanted, with Mohammed Tausif alias Tausif Machandi identified as the alleged syndicate leader in the Mumbai case.
- Complainant Shabbir Siddiqui reported he and Sajid Electricwala were abducted from an Andheri hotel on June 12; Siddiqui escaped on June 14 as phone data later tracked Electricwala’s movement across five states.
- In a separate action on October 10, Thane police invoked MCOCA against 17 alleged traffickers running a ganja distribution chain from Andhra Pradesh into Maharashtra, arresting 13 as four remain at large.
- Thane officials reported seizures totaling 177 kg of cannabis along with firearms and vehicles valued at about ₹70 lakh and noted the case follows an NDPS probe led by ACP Kalyanji Ghete, with a recent legal amendment classifying narcotics offenses as organised crime.