How an unchecked Goregaon concert led to a tragic student drug overdose
3 min readMumbaiApr 17, 2026 10:34 PM IST
The Vanrai Police arrested the eighth accused, Shubh Agarwal, a management student from an Andheri-based college, in connection with the death of two management students following an alleged drug overdose at a concert in NESCO, Goregaon.
Police said the main supplier, Ayush who allegedly provided ecstasy to several college students who then circulated it within their friend circles—is still absconding, and efforts are underway to trace him. Agarwal, a resident of Khadakpada in Kalyan, lived in the same locality as alleged drug peddler Anand Patel and the deceased student’s classmate Pratik Pandey. The trio had known each other for several years, and Agarwal was also present at the concert, an officer said.
According to investigators, Pandey had ordered contraband from Patel after learning about the concert. Patel allegedly supplied ecstasy to Agarwal, who then delivered it to Pandey at his hostel in South Mumbai. Agarwal was produced before a court and remanded to police custody till April 20.
During the probe, police found that the absconding accused Ayush and arrested accused Vineet Gerelani were running parallel supply chains and jointly handling finances collected from consumers. Gerelani was also present at the event held at the NESCO Exhibition Centre. A forensic analysis of his phone revealed alleged drug-related communications with multiple contacts via Snapchat, along with UPI transactions linked to Ayush.
Investigators said Ayush is also suspected to present at the concert venue on April 11, and Gerelani’s call records showed he was in frequent contact with Ayush. “The chats indicate his involvement in large-scale supply of contraband,” an officer said.
Meanwhile, the event organising firm and NESCO’s lawyer claimed in the court during remand that all required permissions had been obtained from departments concerned, including the police.
“While permission was granted only until 10 pm, the concert reportedly continued till 12:30 am on April 12. Although police personnel were present near the venue, they did not stop the event before permission limit and conduct checks. The drug peddlers were inisde and allegedly distributed the pills inside the event” said a source on condition of anonymity.
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Police said they were present during the event and asked them to stop the music but they did not listen. “The legal action was taken and it is mentioned in the FIR that the organiser continued the music beyond time limit,” said a senior officer.
In a statement, NESCO said, “Wish to state unequivocally that there has been no lapse or negligence on the part of Nesco or its employees in relation to this incident.As the matter is currently under investigation, we will refrain from further comments at this stage. We remain committed to cooperating with the authorities and to ensuring that all events hosted at our venue meet the highest standards of safety and compliance.”
