Drug peddler who once worked as Bollywood make-up artist, held

The crime branch of Mumbai Police has arrested two drug peddlers including a former Bollywood make-up artist and seized Mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 3.15 lakh from their possession, an official said on Friday.

Unit-11 of the crime branch held Parvez alias Laddu Hanif Halai (30) and Niketan alias Nikhil Suresh Jadhav (30) from Rajendra Nagar in Borivali (West) on Thursday, he said.

The duo were nabbed by a team led by senior inspector Sunil Mane during patrolling in the area.

During the search, the police found 105 gm of narcotic drug MD, worth Rs 3.15 lakh in illicit trade, in their possession, the official said, adding that the two were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Jadhav and Halai had serious offenses including an attempt to murder, cheating and theft registered against them, he said.

Jadhav told the police that he once worked as a make- up man and hairdressing artist for prominent film production houses and leading male and female actors and celebrities appearing in international reality shows, the official said.

He came in contact with drug peddlers during this period and after realizing that huge amounts of money can be made by selling narcotics, he quit working as make-up artist in Bollywood.

He was allegedly selling drugs for the last four years.

The crime branch is investigating from where he procured drugs and whom did he supply them, the police official said.

The accused ensured that WhatsApp chats with customers about drugs were deleted after reading, and the police will try to retrieve these deleted messages, he added.

The arrest comes on the heels of Narcotic Control Bureau's high-profile investigation into alleged drug use in Bollywood.