Rural police get custody of gangster from UP in MD case

Nagpur: The Nagpur Rural police have secured custody of Pankaj Singh Thakur (33), a gangster from Uttar Pradesh and prime accused in the Kelvad mephedrone (MD) drug smuggling case.Pankaj Singh, resident of Varanasi district, was arrested on June 2 by Uttar Pradesh police for possessing crude bombs. Following leads linking him to the interstate drug racket, Rural Police, under SP Harssh A Poddar and Addl SP Anil Mhaske, obtained court permission and took his custody from UP. The gangster has been brought to Nagpur for detailed interrogation. Earlier, the Local Crime Branch team arrested three accused from Madhya Pradesh and seized 485 grams of MD powder worth 24.25 lakh, along with a SUV and mobile phones. The fourth accused, Ankur Raj Bahadur Yadav from Prayagraj, was later arrested from Seoni, Madhya Pradesh.Investigators believe Singh played a crucial role in supplying the narcotic consignment. Interrogation is ongoing to expose the entire drug network.