Follow us on Google News
KANPUR/ORAI: Police investigating an illegal mephedrone manufacturing unit unearthed in Jalaun district’s Orai and the subsequent arrest of accused Rizwan Ahmed in Kanpur with drugs worth Rs 50 lakh have uncovered an international smuggling network extending through Nepal.
International Smuggling Trail Through Nepal
Investigators examining mobile phone records and call details belonging to arrested accused Rizwan Ahmed discovered that the syndicate’s operations went well beyond Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Mephedrone produced at the Orai facility was routed to several foreign countries via Nepal. Police found a contact saved as Sultan Nepal on Rizwan’s mobile phone, along with extensive chat logs detailing drug consignments and raw material procurement. Further scrutiny of his device revealed 79 suspicious contacts, including documented conversations with smugglers operating across Barabanki, Farrukhabad, and other districts.
Prior to entering the narcotics trade, Rizwan Ahmed manufactured counterfeit cigarettes and sold them across the Purvanchal region. During the COVID-19 lockdown, when retail shops remained shut, he capitalized on the restrictions to supply fake cigarettes and generate substantial illicit profits. Through this network, he first connected with local drug traffickers and later came into contact with Khayamuddin, a native of Motihari in Bihar. Together, they established a multi-crore narcotics operation.
Rose Water Front and Raw Material Supply
The investigation has now expanded to other parts of Orai town following the recovery of a key raw material purchase invoice from Rizwan’s phone. According to the bill dated August 4, chemicals and raw materials valued at approximately Rs 17 lakh were purchased from a scientific firm in Delhi. The delivery address listed on the invoice belonged to a GST-registered cement and iron rod shop located in Orai’s Indranagar locality, where consignments were transported by car. Investigators have also identified another accused, Santosh, in connection with this supply chain.
Police findings show that the syndicate put an organized operational structure in place to run the clandestine unit. Mumbai resident Khayyamuddin routed funds through Santosh Gawli to Hemant Kushwaha. With the assistance of Shailendra Pal, Hemant acquired premises in Rampura under the Dakor area and set up the mephedrone manufacturing facility under the guise of a rose water business. Rizwan, a resident of Kanpur, was tasked with sourcing raw materials for production.
Police Team Sent to Mumbai for Kingpin
Authorities identified Khayamuddin alias Khayyam as the alleged kingpin of the drug cartel, noting his suspected links to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Operating out of Mumbai’s Dharavi area, Khayyam allegedly directed the syndicate’s wider activities. During custodial interrogation, Rizwan provided investigators with critical leads regarding Khayyam’s hideouts and operations. Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal stated that a special police team departed for Mumbai on Saturday to track down and arrest the main accused.
Fazalganj police in Kanpur had arrested Rizwan Ahmed on Tuesday night from beneath the Govindpuri bridge. Officers recovered 50 grams of mephedrone valued at roughly Rs 50 lakh from his possession before sending him to judicial custody on Wednesday. The names of both Rizwan and kingpin Khayyam had initially surfaced during the investigation into the mephedrone factory busted in Jalaun on October 29.
