New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) In a major crackdown on organised narco-criminal networks, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has detained habitual drug offender Rahul Balkrishna Shedge under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, 1988, the officials said on Thursday.

According to NCB, the preventive detention was carried out in compliance with a detention order dated May 14, issued by the Joint Secretary of the PIT-NDPS Division, Government of India. Shedge was intercepted on May 27 and subsequently lodged in Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai.

The NCB stated that Rahul Balkrishna Shedge had been repeatedly involved in drug trafficking and the illegal manufacture of narcotic substances. He has been arrested four times by law enforcement agencies, including the NCB and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

Officials said Shedge possessed extensive knowledge of chemistry and first entered the narcotics trade in 2009, when he was arrested by the DRI in Mumbai in connection with the trafficking of multiple drugs, including Alprazolam, Nordazepam, Amphetamine, and Diazepam.

After securing bail, he allegedly continued his involvement in the drug trade and was arrested again by the NCB Mumbai unit in 2012 in a major Ketamine trafficking case spanning several cities.

Despite repeated arrests, Shedge allegedly remained active in narcotics-related activities. In 2018, he was arrested once again by the DRI Mumbai for attempting to manufacture illicit drugs.

The NCB further stated that in 2025, Shedge was arrested by NCB Mumbai for the illicit manufacture of a chemical compound that was one stage below an intermediate required for the synthesis of Ketamine. According to officials, he had established a chemical laboratory in Maharashtra’s Raigad district and was carrying out chemical processes designed to avoid falling directly under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985.

Recognising the need to curb his repeated involvement in drug-related offences, the NCB pursued a proposal for preventive detention under the PIT-NDPS Act, which allows authorities to detain individuals involved in illicit narcotics trafficking to prevent future offences.

The Bureau said the detention reflects its continued efforts to dismantle organised drug syndicates and target habitual offenders contributing to the narcotics network in the country.

Reaffirming its commitment to a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat by 2047’, the NCB urged citizens to report drug-related activities through MANAS, the National Narcotics Helpline, by dialling the toll-free number 1933. The agency assured that the identity of informants would be kept strictly confidential.

–IANS

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