Daijiworld Media Network - Surat
Surat, Oct 1: Puna police have arrested a 28-year-old man with 3.26 grams of mephedrone, commonly known as MD, near the New APMC Fruit Market in Surat and launched a search for his alleged supplier identified as Nadim.
According to police, the action followed a tip-off that a man was carrying MD drugs on a moped while travelling from Intercity Creek Bridge towards Anjana Farm. A police team laid a trap near the New APMC Fruit Market and intercepted the suspect. He was identified as Mohammad Rehan Jamil Ahmed Ansari, a Surat resident originally from Uttar Pradesh.
Police said Rehan runs a snack cart in the Bhathena area of Surat. During a personal search, officers allegedly found a transparent push-lock pouch containing white-and-yellow powder in the pocket of his trousers. A subsequent search of the moped's storage compartment led to the recovery of a battery-operated digital weighing scale, a mobile phone, Rs 300 in cash and an identity card.
A preliminary test conducted using an FSL kit indicated that the seized substance was mephedrone. The drug weighed 3.26 grams and was valued at around Rs 9,780, police said. The total value of the seized property, including the drugs, moped, mobile phone, weighing scale and other articles, was estimated at Rs 70,180.
During questioning, police said Rehan admitted to being addicted to MD and allegedly told investigators that he had purchased the drug from Nadim. Police said the alleged supplier operates near the Fish Market area close to the mound near the Navsari Bazaar cemetery. Nadim has been declared wanted and efforts are under way to trace him.
Puna police have registered a case against Rehan under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Police also said Rehan had previously been arrested in connection with a drug procurement and distribution racket involving MD worth around Rs 35 lakh. In that case, Surat SOG had arrested several people in July-August 2024 after raiding a hotel near Udhna Darwaja. The investigation had linked Chetan Sahu of Rajasthan, Vikas Ahir, identified in reports as a Surat leader of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, and Anishkhan Lakdawala to the racket, while Rehan Ansari was also named in connection with the case. Reports said the network allegedly used ice-cream carts, ice-cream parlours and two-wheelers to distribute the drugs in Surat.
Rehan is the son of Jamil Ansari, also known as Jamil Biryani, who was a former vice-president of the BJP Minority Morcha in Surat. Police said Rehan was arrested in the earlier case, spent time in jail and, after his release, allegedly returned to drug use.
A Gujarat High Court order dated October 16, 2025 also records that Mohammad Rehan Jamil Ahmed Ansari had been preventively detained under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The order referred to a July 21, 2024 case registered against him under provisions of the NDPS Act and noted the authorities' contention regarding his alleged involvement in narcotics-related activities.
The latest arrest has once again brought Rehan under investigation, while police are continuing efforts to trace the alleged supplier Nadim and ascertain the wider network involved in the supply of MD drugs.