Pune police get drug mafia Lalit Patil’s custody

By: Pune Pulse

November 1, 2023

Pune: The Pune Police have obtained the custody of Lalit Patil, a drug kingpin, in relation to the NDPS case filed against him at Bund Garden Police Station.

On Tuesday morning, a team of crime branch officials, headed by DCP (Crime) Amol Zende, arrived in Mumbai and submitted an application before the court to acquire his custody from the Mumbai crime branch. Later in the day, the court granted the Pune Police the custody of Patil, and the crime branch officials took him into custody. Subsequently, the crime branch team left Mumbai at approximately 5.30 p.m. and brought Patil to Pune at around 10 p.m.

Patil, represented by his lawyer Swapnil Wagh, submitted an application to the court on Monday, requesting that he not be transferred to Pune Police custody. The basis for this request was Patil’s claim that he had been physically assaulted by the Pune police while receiving treatment at Sassoon General Hospital.

 In the drug case, the Andheri court has extended the police custody of Patil, along with his driver Sachin Wagh and co-accused Harish Pant, until October 30. The Pune police allege that Patil is the mastermind behind a mephedrone drug empire worth ₹300 crore, which was uncovered by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police in 2020.

On October 2, Patil escaped from Sassoon Hospital and was subsequently arrested in Chennai by Mumbai Police on October 17. Following his arrest, a Mumbai court remanded him to police custody for further investigation. Later, he was remanded in judicial custody and sent to Arthur jail after the expiry of his police custody.

Patil had previously been arrested in connection with the Chakan mephedrone seizure and was admitted to Sassoon Hospital while lodged at Yerawada Central Jail. He has been charged with supplying mephedrone worth ₹2.14 crore to his aide Subhash Mandal through a hospital canteen staffer on September 30 while he was admitted in ward number 16.