Nagpur: In a strong offensive against the rising menace of synthetic drugs in the city, Nagpur City Police, under the dynamic leadership of Commissioner of Police Dr. Ravinder Kumar Singal, executed a major crackdown under Operation Thunder. The Crime Branch NDPS Cell raided a flat near Chatrapati Chowk and arrested six accused, including the notorious drug peddler Rahul Shankar Lepase, infamously known as “Cheel”.
For the past several months, Rahul Lepase had been running a large-scale MD drug network across Nagpur. With supply links traced to Mumbai’s Mira Road area, he would source Mephedrone (MD) in bulk and distribute it through his close aides. To evade police surveillance, the gang used multiple mobile phones, frequently changing SIM cards and avoiding long-term use of any single device.
During the late-night raid at Flat No. 203, Shri Pooja Apartment, the police team seized:
109 grams of MD (Mephedrone) – street value over ₹5.45 lakh
₹1.4 lakh in cash
11 mobile phones used for peddling operations
6 two-wheelers
Various drug packaging materials
Distilled (sterile) water bottles and used syringes, indicating possible injectable drug consumption
The total seizure is valued at approximately ₹7.7 lakh.
Investigations revealed that the flat was taken on rent by Sachin Ghode, one of the accused, without any rental agreement. The space was not only used for storage and supply but also served as a drug consumption den for regular clients. The filthy condition of the flat—gutkha-stained walls, scattered pouches, syringes, and water bottles—confirmed frequent drug activity.
What’s more alarming is that Rahul Lepase reportedly procured over 200 grams of MD just five days before the raid, out of which more than 100 grams had already been sold, indicating rapid and widespread drug distribution in the city.
The arrested accused include:
Rahul Shankar Lepase (24) alias "Cheel" – Mastermind
Akshay alias Akki alias Bichhu Ramesh Vinchurkar (33)
Arif Mohammad Abdul Samad Shaikh (32)
Sachin Arun Ghode (46) – flat owner
Sarang Murlidhar Chaudhary (26)
Vinayak Gyaneshwar Deshmukh (32)
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the NDPS Act at Dhantoli Police Station. The operation was executed under the supervision of DCP Rahul Maknikar, with commendable efforts from PI Gajanan Gulhane and the NDPS task force.
