MCOCA Court Denies Bail to Prison Guard in Solapur Jail Drug Syndicate Case
A special MCOCA court in Mumbai has refused to grant bail to prison guard Balu Chavan, who is accused of helping alleged kingpin Faiyaz Shaikh operate an illegal narcotics syndicate from Solapur prison.
Chavan was booked by the Mumbai Crime Branch after investigators uncovered a manufacturing unit producing mephedrone (MD), a banned narcotic substance, in Satara.
According to the prosecution, the case originated on December 8, 2025, when police apprehended Salim Shaikh and Rayees Shaikh in possession of 74 grams and 62 grams of MD, respectively. Information from their arrests led the Mumbai Crime Branch to raid premises in Savari village, Satara, on December 13, 2025.
During the Satara raid, officers seized 7 kg and 518 grams of finished MD, along with 38 kg and 820 grams of the substance kept for drying. Police investigations revealed that the manufacturing facility was operating under instructions from Faiyaz Shaikh.
Investigators alleged that Shaikh ran his operations from inside Solapur prison by using Chavan's mobile phone to communicate with an accomplice, Vishal More. Financial records also showed that a total of Rs 45,000 was transferred from a relative of the accused into Chavan's bank account.
In his bail application, Chavan claimed he had been working as a government servant and Central Jail guard since 2007. He stated that he knew Shaikh strictly in his official capacity while posted at Solapur Jail, asserting that he was innocent and falsely implicated.
The prosecution opposed the bail plea, arguing that Shaikh headed an organized crime syndicate manufacturing and selling MD, and that Chavan actively facilitated the illicit operations by providing his phone inside the prison.
The court rejected Chavan's defense, noting that bank statements provided prima facie evidence of the money transfers. The court observed that prison guards are not permitted to use personal bank accounts to facilitate purchases for inmates, concluding that the arguments presented by the defense were not convincing.
