Thane, Sep 13 (PTI) Police have invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against drug kingpin Amjad Yusuf Pathan and his four associates in connection with a Rs 34.18 crore heroin haul in Thane district, an official said on Sunday.
Pathan, who faces 20 serious criminal cases across three states, was formally taken into custody from Thane Central Jail alongside his aides on September 8 following approval from senior police officials to apply provisions of the MCOCA Act, the official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Zende said the action stems from an earlier Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) case registered at the Mahatma Phule Chowk police station in Kalyan after nearly 9.8 kg of high-grade
heroin was intercepted.
During the initial crackdown, police arrested syndicate chief Pathan, along with his associates Kasam Abdul Sattar Vasaikar, Krishna Nagappa Halemani, Ganeshan Puthuswamy alias Buduswamy Jangmar, and Saddam Gafur Shaikh.
Police seized 9.768 kg of heroin valued at Rs 34.18 crore directly from Vasaikar and Halemani, in addition to mobile phones and cash used for trafficking operations.
Subsequent investigation established that Pathan operated as the mastermind of the illicit network, the official said.
Pathan faces 20 serious cases across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh for serious offences including murder, rioting, and narcotics trafficking.
He was previously booked under MCOCA in 2020 by Mahatma Phule Chowk Police for murder, and again in 2025 by Kongaon Police for drug smuggling, police said.
His co-accused also possess major criminal records, with Saddam Shaikh named in eight cases of theft, robbery, and drug peddling, Vasaikar facing four narcotics cases, and both Halemani and Puthuswamy holding prior NDPS charges.
As the syndicate operated as an organised crime gang, police submitted a proposal to invoke MCOCA, the official said, adding that the court has remanded the accused to police custody until September 17. PTI COR ARU
