Pune: The sleuths from Anti-Narcotics Squad of the Pune Crime Branch seized 212 grams of mephedrone (also known as meow meow drug) worth Rs 11 lakh on Sunday. The police have arrested the two persons in the operation which took place at midnight on Sunday.

Visarat Ali Sana Ullah (Balajinagar, Dhankawadi) who hails from Pachgachi, Bihar) and Brijesh Upendra Sharma (Dongri, Mumbai) were arrested. According to the police, a team of (former) Assistant Inspector of Police Raikar, police officers namely Joshi, Bomadandi, Salunkhe, Shinde, Dalvi, Gaikwad, Jachak, Shirolkar and Mohite from the Crime Branch's Anti-Narcotics Squad were patrolling the premises of Bharati University.

The police noticed two youths moving suspiciously in a car (MH 12 NX 4950) on the Pune-Mumbai bypass road. While questioning, police officials also searched the car and seized mephedrone drug worth Rs 11 lakh, a car worth Rs 5 lakh, two mobile phones and Rs 1,000 cash totalling items of Rs 16 lakh. A case under NDPS has been registered against the accused at Bharti University Police Station.

"This is the fifth major crackdown of mephedrone drug so far. We will continue to raid and seize other drugs including mephedrone,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Bachchan Singh informed.

Recently, nine people, including a Nigerian man and a former aide of gangster Chhota Rajan, were arrested in connection with Rs 20 crore drug racket in Pimpri-Chinchwad area of Pune district. Earlier this month, the police had confiscated 20 kg of mephedrone worth Rs 20 crore at Chakan and nabbed five people.