The Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) has filed a 953-page chargesheet against three members of an organised gang accused of manufacturing and smuggling acidic substances — marking the first case registered under the amended Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The chargesheet, submitted before the Special MCOCA Court in the Sessions Court, names gang leader Jamir Ahmed Abdul Khaliq Ansari alias Boka, along with Adnan Aamir Shaikh and Kaynath Jabbar Shaikh. Two of them have been arrested, while Ansari remains wanted.

According to officials, this is the first action under the amended provisions of MCOCA, notified in July 2025, which now allows the law to be applied against gangs involved in the manufacture, sale, and trafficking of drugs or chemical substances, similar to narcotic offences.

The racket came to light earlier this year when the ANC’s Bandra unit arrested Adnan Shaikh and seized nearly Rs 2 crore worth of mephedrone from him. His interrogation led police to Kaynath Shaikh, who was later arrested from Dahisar.

Further investigation revealed that Kaynath’s husband, Jabbar Qureshi, a Byculla resident, had been arrested months earlier with 500 grams of MD and is currently lodged in jail. After his arrest, police said, Kaynath took charge of his narcotics operations, expanding the network with Adnan’s help under the guidance of gang leader Ansari.

Officials said Jamir Ansari, a known peddler with a long record of narcotics offences, was allegedly running a large-scale drug network along with his associates. Since 2009, multiple cases have been registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Despite several arrests, the group allegedly regrouped and revived its supply lines. Investigators said the syndicate primarily trafficked mephedrone and cocaine, maintaining links with suppliers outside Maharashtra.

Police also allege that the syndicate had diversified into the illegal sourcing and sale of industrial acids — chemicals often used in drug manufacturing and gold cleaning — through unlicensed dealers. “The gang ran a parallel underground supply chain for both narcotics and acids,” said an ANC officer.

With strong evidence linking the accused to the organised operation, the ANC invoked Sections 3(1)(ii), 3(2), and 3(4) of the amended MCOCA.

Source