Mumbais drug crackdown: Rs 6 Crore Drug Bust After Concert Tragedy: Ex-Bar Dancer Held With 5,000 MDMA Pills | Mumbai News
2 min readApr 20, 2026 02:05 PM IST
In a major crackdown following the recent deaths of two MBA students at a concert in the NESCO Exhibition Centre, the Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) has arrested a woman drug supplier and seized 5,000 MDMA pills worth ₹6 crore from her residence in Titwala.
Police described the haul as one of the largest single-source recoveries of MDMA in the city. The accused, a woman in her early 40s, is a former bar dancer who worked in Mumbai and Thane for over a decade before allegedly entering the drug trade three years ago.
According to investigators, she was introduced to the narcotics network by a peddler who lured her with promises of high profits. During the raid, officials also recovered five mobile phones and eight SIM cards. Call data records are now being analysed to trace the wider supply chain and identify the primary supplier.
The arrest stems from an earlier operation on April 16, when the Ghatkopar ANC unit apprehended Irfan Ali Ansari (40) from the Jarimari area of Sakinaka with 200 MDMA pills. Ansari had previously been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau in 2021 in a similar case and had spent nearly four years in jail before being released on bail last year. Police allege he resumed drug distribution soon after his release.
Investigators say Ansari and the woman supplier became acquainted in jail and re-established contact after their release. He allegedly sourced MDMA from her and distributed it across the western suburbs. Based on his interrogation, police also arrested his associate, Sufiyan, who is believed to have handled deliveries.
Ansari and Sufiyan have been remanded in police custody till April 22. The woman supplier was produced before a holiday court on Sunday and also remanded to police custody till April 22. Officials said she has been uncooperative during interrogation, and efforts are underway to determine her prior criminal record.
The ANC is continuing its probe to identify the kingpin and dismantle the larger drug network. Police clarified that, so far, no direct link has been established between the seized consignment and the drugs allegedly circulated at the Goregaon concert where the two students died.
