Police arrest 13th accused Deepak Hemwani in Goregaon Nesco concert drug case

The Vanrai police have arrested a 25-year-old man, Deepak Hemwani, making him the 13th accused apprehended in connection with the drug overdose deaths of two MBA students who attended a techno concert at the NESCO Centre in Goregaon East, Mumbai. The deaths, which occurred after the "999999999 Techno Concert" on April 11, triggered a major investigation into the alleged supply and consumption of narcotic substances at the event.

Hemwani is a friend of the 12th accused, 44-year-old Mark alias Mahesh Khemlani, who is alleged to be the main drug supplier in the case. During police questioning, Hemwani claimed that he had no involvement in the drug racket. He told investigators that Khemlani had merely asked him to keep a box with him, and he did so without knowing its contents. However, police said they have found financial transactions between Hemwani and Khemlani, which they are currently investigating.

With Hemwani's arrest, the total number of accused in the case has risen to 13. Currently, nine of the accused are in judicial custody, one is in police custody, and three have been granted bail.

Among those who have secured bail are event organiser Akash Samal, who was granted bail by a special NDPS court in Mumbai in May. Additionally, the Bombay High Court granted bail in June to Balkrishna Kurup, Vice President (Live Events) of Nesco Limited, and Sunny Jain, a Nesco manager.

The police said the chargesheet in the case is likely to be filed within the next 10 days. While a few forensic reports have already been received, investigators are awaiting the remaining reports before filing the chargesheet.

During the investigation, the arrest of Khemlani revealed that he had allegedly procured drugs through a friend based in Europe. However, police have so far not established any links to an international drug trafficking network.