Nagpur: A father-son duo has been arrested by Kotwali police for their alleged involvement in the illicit MD (mephedrone) trade, with 142 grams of the narcotic substance valued at over Rs 25 lakh seized from their house in Sonia Gandhi Slum near Mahal on Tuesday.
Police said this could be the first instance of a father-son pair being arrested in an MD-related case in the city, indicating emerging family links in the narcotics trade, which has largely been dominated by organised criminal networks.
Acting on a tip-off, a team led by senior police inspector Prashant Jhumde raided the house of Abhishek Rajput (20) and his father Vijay Rajput (58) between 9.30pm and 10.30pm. During the search, officers recovered a black pouch containing three ziplock packets of brownish powder suspected to be MD from a bag hanging on a kitchen wall.
During preliminary questioning, the duo reportedly told police that the consignment belonged to their relative Aniket Rajput, a resident of the same area, who had allegedly kept the drugs at their house for sale. He is currently absconding, and a case has been registered against all three.
Police suspect the duo's role was limited to storing the contraband and facilitating its distribution. Deputy commissioner of police (zone) Rahul Madane and ACP (Kotwali division) Anita More are supervising the probe into backward and forward linkages.
Further investigation is underway to trace the source of the drugs and uncover any wider network.
