‘Drug kingpin’s arrest will reveal big nexus in Maharashtra,’ claims Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the State government has taken a resolution for a drug-free Maharashtra and Patil’s arrest would lead to a big expose of the drug racket in the State. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

The arrest of city-based drug kingpin Lalit Patil by the Mumbai police will reveal “a big nexus” in the State, claimed Maharashtra Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday.

Patil had escaped on October 2 from Pune’s Sassoon General Hospital where he was reportedly undergoing treatment for tuberculosis.

The Mumbai police finally nabbed Patil, the prime mover behind the multi-crore mephedrone racket busted by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police in 2020, from Chennai late Tuesday night.

He was also prime suspect in the mephedrone production racket in Nashik, where a factory had been recently raided by the police.

Speaking in Pune on Wednesday, Mr. Fadnavis said that the State government has taken a resolution for a drug-free Maharashtra and that Patil’s arrest would lead to a big expose of the drug racket in the State.

“At the last crime control conference, we had directed all units to crackdown on the drug mafia in a big way. Accordingly, the Mumbai police raided the Nashik factory along with raids in other places. Now that Lalit Patil has been nabbed, a big nexus will be revealed,”

In a thinly veiled warning to the Opposition, Mr. Fadnavis said he had been briefed by the authorities on things which he could not reveal at the present moment, but would do so at an appropriate time.

“I can only that a lot of things will be disclosed soon and all those people who are speaking against us will be stunned into silence by the revelations,” said the Deputy CM.  

After his arrest by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police in 2020, Patil was lodged in Pune’s Yerawada jail. He was admitted to Sassoon Hospital in June this year. However, investigations soon revealed that Patil was running his drug racket from the hospital itself.

Following his escape earlier this month, a slanging match has erupted between the ruling Eknath Shinde-led government and the Opposition, with the latter alleging the hand of two cabinet ministers in facilitating Patil’s escape.

Taking aim at the ruling government, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole alleged the BJP was working to tarnish the State’s reputation, while demanding to know the “mastermind” behind Patil’s operation.

He further claimed that the Congress had been repeatedly warning that some people who were part of the ruling government were allegedly trying to protect Lalit Patil.

“Today, our claims have proven to be true. This entire case needs to be thoroughly probed. Who is supporting people like Lalit Patil?” asked Mr. Patole.