Attempting to evade cops, drug peddlers in Mumbai are using names of Bollywood films as red herring; name popular drugs after blockbuster films like 'Bajirao Mastani' and wives of superstars
Drug mafia wants 'Pink', 'Sairat' to get Mumbai high this New Year's Eve
Illustration/ Ravi Jadhav
Undeterred by the massive crackdown on the narcotics industry, peddlers eyeing huge profits on New Year’s Eve have come up with innovative, filmi code names for drugs, to throw cops off the scent. While the names of recent blockbusters Sairat, Mastani and Pink are trending, two high-end varieties of cocaine have also been named after wives of superstars.
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“Many peddlers gear up for New Year as it’s their golden chance to make money. Orders pour in right after Christmas and continue till New Year’s eve,” said one senior officer from the Narcotics Control Bureau. The officer said Mumbai police has already cracked its whip on peddlers in the Colaba, Sandhurst Road and Wadi Bunder areas, forcing many of them to relocate. Kandivli police too seized psychotropic drugs worth over R1 crore. But while the NCB and city police’s anti-narcotics cell are claiming to have made serious dents to the drug industry, peddlers are trying to one-up the police by using filmi code names for popular drugs.
‘MD’ a common name for the narcotic drug Mephedrone has now been renamed Sairat, after this year’s Marathi film. “The consumption of MD makes you go wild. We heard Sairat means madness, so the name seemed apt,” said a source in the narcotics industry. Another popular name for MD is Mastani, inspired from last year’s film Bajirao Mastani. “The names of the drugs keep changing. It’s a strategy to throw the cops off guard,” a source added.
Meanwhile, two varieties of high-end cocaine have been named after wives of two Bollywood superstars. The cost ranges anywhere from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per gm.
Sairat is Mephedrone, Bajirao is Cocaine and Pink is code for LSD
An official admitted names like these affect investigations. “Whenever a peddler or junkie reveals such code names, we find it difficult to trace which part of the city this drug is being distributed to,” said one officer working in city’s anti-narcotics cell. “Naming drugs after movies is easy as one cannot make out exactly what the suspect is talking about.”
Deputy commissioner of police Ashok Dudhe, spokesperson for the Mumbai police said that citizens could also help bust drug activities in the city. “We have a dedicated info-line for citizens to inform us about any peddling activity. We are appealing to citizens to report whenever they find any case of drug abuse, consumption or sale in their vicinity.”
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