KALYAN: In a major crackdown on an alleged interstate drug syndicate, Thane Police have invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against alleged drug kingpin Amjad Yusuf Pathan and four members of his gang in connection with the seizure of heroin worth ₹34.18 crore in Kalyan.The case was registered on May 1 at Mahatma Phule Chowk police station under the NDPS Act. Police arrested Pathan (47), a resident of Bail Bazar in Kalyan, along with Qasim Wasaikar (38), Krishna Nagappa Hallemani (36), Ganeshan Jangam alias Anna (71), and Saddam Sheikh (32).During the investigation, police seized 9.768kg of heroin valued at around ₹34.18 crore, besides cash and mobile phones. Further investigation allegedly revealed that the contraband was sourced and smuggled by Pathan.Police said Pathan has around 20 criminal cases registered against him in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, including three murder cases and several drug-related offences. He was also previously booked under MCOCA in a 2020 murder case and a 2025 drug-smuggling case.According to police, Pathan and his brothers Barkat and Rehmat allegedly operated an interstate drug network from Kalyan under the ‘Pathan gang’, with supply links across several states and possible international connections. Pathan had earlier been externed from Thane and was out on bail in a murder case.Following a proposal to invoke MCOCA against the syndicate, the Additional Commissioner of Police (East Region, Kalyan) sanctioned. Pathan, Wasaikar and Hallemani, who were lodged in Aadharwadi and Thane Central prisons, were re-arrested on September 8. A Special MCOCA Court in Thane remanded them to police custody till September 17.Since DCP Atul Zende took charge of Zone III, Thane Police have invoked MCOCA against three major drug syndicates with national-level networks in the past year. The action is aimed at preventing alleged organised drug traffickers from securing early release and dismantling their networks.
