Shiv Sena (UBT) member drug mafia Lalit Patil, who had been on the run for 15 days from Sassoon Hospital in Pune, was arrested by the Mumbai crime branch in Chennai on Tuesday (17th October). Evading both the hospital administration and the police, Lalit Patil managed to escape on 2nd October.
The search for him involved both the Pune and Mumbai Police departments. Now that Lalit Patil is in police custody, it is expected that the involvement of several prominent individuals in the drug case will come to light.
Mumbai Police detained drug mafia person Lalit Patil. Mumbai Police took him into custody from Chennai. He had escaped from a hospital in Pune and Police were searching for him: Mumbai Police
— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2023
Lalit Patil escaped from a Hospital in Pune
Lalit Patil fled from Sassoon Hospital in Pune on 2nd October triggering the deployment of multiple search teams. His drug factory in Nashik was busted by the Mumbai Police.
While being held at Yerawada jail since 2020 for drug possession, Lalit Patil was transferred to ward number 16 of Sassoon Hospital for medical treatment. Shockingly, it was discovered that Patil had been involved in the illicit trade of mephedrone, aided by two individuals in the canteen. Subsequently, the crime branch police apprehended the two culprits on the hospital premises, confiscating mephedrone valued at approximately Rs 2 crore.
Despite these developments, Patil managed to escape at around 8 p.m. on 2nd October, eluding the police while being taken to an X-ray testing appointment. As of now, the police authorities have apprehended four major drug traffickers in connection with the case.
After Lalit Patil escaped, police busted his factory and arrested his brother
For the last 15 days, Mumbai, Pune and Nashik police were on the lookout for Lalit Patil. However, Lalit Patil was evading the police. Meanwhile, drugs worth crores of rupees were seized during a raid at Lalit Patil’s factory in Nashik. Lalit Patil’s brother Bhushan Patil and his factory manager Abhishek Balkawade were nabbed. Police were looking for Lalit Patil.
A week ago, the police arrested Lalit Patil’s brother Bhushan Patil from the Nepal border. He was also brought to Nashik for investigation. The Pune Police raided the house of Bhushan Patil in suburban Nashik. Bhushan was also taken for investigation at the drug factory in Shinde village where the raid was conducted and drugs worth 350 crore rupees were seized. After completing the investigation, a team of Pune Police took along Bhushan Patil.
How did the police trap the drug mafia?
Following a tip-off about Lalit Patil’s presence in Chennai, the Mumbai Police’s Crime Investigation Department set up a trap resulting in his arrest. Lalit Patil has been transported to Mumbai and is set to be produced in court shortly.
Lalit Patil is an international drug trafficking syndicate member. Despite an extensive search operation conducted by the police to locate him, Lalit Patil remained elusive. However, a crucial error led to his eventual capture as he fell into the police’s grasp.
Lalit Patil was followed by 10 teams of Pune Police, 3 teams of Mumbai Police and a team of Nashik Police. Meanwhile, Sakinaka police were on the lookout for Lalit from the beginning. However, he was evading the arrest. Meanwhile, Sakinaka police laid a trap. Sakinaka police had one of the accused in their custody. Lalit Patil called the accused and failed. Lalit Patil was in touch with the accused. Sakinaka police were getting information about where Lalit Patil was roaming.
After escaping, the drug mafia Patil first went to Gujarat with two of his accomplices in a travel company car. From there, he reached Dhule, then Karnataka and then Bangalore. Sakinaka police received information that he was in Chennai. Accordingly, the team left. A trap was laid where he was hiding and then he was arrested at night.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) connection
During this time, there were accusations of connections between Lalit Patil and political figures. Currently, it is to be seen whether the police will uncover all these associations during the investigation and what revelations will surface as a result.
उद्धव ठाकरेचे निकटवर्तीय ड्रग्स माफिया ललित पाटील याला मुंबई पोलिसांनी चेन्नई येथून अटक केली. @OfficeofUT ठाकरे नेहमीच माफिया लोकांच्या हातात गंडा का बांधतात?
— Prakash Gade (@PrakashGade13) October 18, 2023
सचिन वाझे
प्रदीप शर्मा
ललित पाटील
सट्टेबाज सिघांनी
1/2 pic.twitter.com/fpBznO3waj
Lalit Patil’s most prominent political connection is with Shiv Sena (UBT). In an undated photograph, he is seen tying Shiv Bandhan from Uddhav Thackeray. Shiv Bandhan is considered as a mark of loyalty of the Shiv Sena (UBT) members.
Prakash Gade of Maharashtra state BJP IT cell posted on X, “Uddhav Thackeray’s close drug mafia Lalit Patil was arrested by the Mumbai Police from Chennai. Why does Thackeray always connect with mafia people? Sachin Waze, Pradeep Sharma, Lalit Patil, Betting accused Singhani. During the tenure of deputy chief minister of the state Devendra Fadnavis Ji, the police have never given a free pass to Naxalites, drug mafia and terrorists. Look at the history.
The initial arrests in 2020
Lalit Patil was initially apprehended under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act related to a notable drug confiscation incident in 2020, recorded at the Chakan police station. The matter unfolded when the Pimpri Chinchwad police detained 22 individuals after the discovery of 20 kilograms of mephedrone, valued at Rs 20 crore, in Chakan in October 2020. Further inquiries unveiled a significant network engaged in the production and distribution of narcotics, indicating that a biotech firm in Ranjangaon had manufactured mephedrone exceeding the value of Rs 130 crore.
Furthermore, the police asserted that Patil’s engagement extended beyond drug acquisition; he was accused of receiving significant amounts of money from various individuals apprehended in the Chakan case. Allegedly, these funds were utilized to procure legal representation and to negotiate with authorities. Additionally, Patil had contested in the previous Nashik civic polls.
‘Please don’t kill him in an encounter’, says the family
Lalit Patil’s parents have expressed fear of their son’s encounter. Both of them have pleaded, “Take action against our son, but please do not kill him in an encounter.”
“The police have arrested Lalit, now they should consider and make further decisions, we have nothing more to say than this. Currently, we are not in the right state of mind,” Lalit’s parents stated.
Lalit’s father said, “We did not know that our children used to run such a big drug racket. If we knew this, we would have told him not to do it as that was wrong. Meanwhile, a person told us that political leaders had ordered the police to kill our son in an encounter. So we are afraid of Lalit’s encounter.”
He added, “Never in our wildest dreams did we think our children would do something like this. I was a government employee. I retired after 38 years of service. Lalit has been in jail since 2020. But we never went to see him. We had let him go. It’s better for such children to die. All of this is hurting us. If anything happens to us, our grandchildren will be helpless. So now the police should not harass us.”
