Nagpur: A simmering rift within Mahal’s powerful narcotics syndicate erupted into an open gang war, triggered by a crush on a woman drug peddler, dubbed ‘narco queen’. Police are now planning to slap MCOCA on the gang members.The feud, brewing for over a month, reached a flashpoint this weekend with back-to-back attacks that started with a stabbing on Saturday and escalated on Sunday with bullets flying in the air at Saurabh Ghate’s residence on Kothi Road in Mahal, 800m off the fortified RSS headquarters.On Saturday, a drug peddler, Rohan Maskar, was attacked by his friend-turned-foes, including Sanket Bhede, Ankush Bhosale, Sujal Latkar, Kartik Durge and Vishesh Latkar, who are now jailed on charges of attempt to murder.It’s learnt that at the heart of the conflict are two former close associates — Maskar and Prajwal Kakde alias Ganga — who have a common love interest in their gang’s peddler queen. Police sources reveal the woman was originally operating under Maskar’s protection and was close to him. She was also arrested but bailed soon.Following Maskar’s arrest and subsequent imprisonment, the woman peddler allegedly switched allegiance to his one-time confidant Ganga. “This shift in loyalty fractured the Mahal-based narcotics network, which commanded a sophisticated supply chain of high-value drugs distributed across Nagpur and beyond,” said a police official.Simmering tensions exploded when Ganga’s faction allegedly launched a brutal attack on Maskar, stabbing him multiple times on Saturday. Sources stated Maskar’s aides retaliated by intercepting Ganga’s car and threatening his wife at gunpoint. She too lodged a complaint, it’s learnt.Ganga teamed up with another hardened criminal, Ravi Mahato, to target the residence of Saurabh Ghate, a key supporter of the Maskar faction, on Sunday night with two gunshots. “Police found one empty case from the place. We received information about two shots being fired,” said Zonal DCP Rahul Madane. He said the gang will face stringent action now.Eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage show Mahato opening fire. Intelligence inputs suggest seven gang members arrived on three bikes to execute the attack. Saurabh Ghate is the brother of Pravin Ghate, another notorious offender with a long criminal record. “We have arrested Prateek Kadam, who accompanied Mahato and Kakde,” said an official from Kotwali police station. A second attempt-to-murder FIR has also been lodged. Investigators indicated that more names, including the woman drug peddler, will be added to the FIRs shortly.
