10 April,2025 07:35 PM IST | Latur | mid-day online correspondent
The operation was carried out on Wednesday under the guidance of Latur Superintendent of Police. Representational Pic/File
The Latur Police in Maharashtra inspected 28 coffee shops for alleged violation of norms and issued notices to as many as 10 outlets, the police said on Thursday, reported the PTI.
The inspection of coffee shops for violation of norms including setting up enclosed compartments without authorisation, an official said.
The operation was carried out on Wednesday under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Somay Munde, he added.
"Three coffee shops had enclosed compartments which were dismantled. Another 10 coffee shops were issued notices under section 168 of Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita. Police, on June 20, 2023, had issued a set of guidelines for coffee shops and eateries," he said, according to the PTI.
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The guidelines included installation of CCTV cameras, transparent doors, seating arrangement that is visible from outside, visitor log book, ban on smoking etc, the official said, as per the PTI.
"Further action is being taken to revoke licences of these coffee shops. The district administration has been intimated about the operation," he added, the news agency reported.
DRI busts mephedrone manufacturing unit in Latur; seizes drugs worth Rs 17 crore
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, in coordination with its regional units, has successfully dismantled a clandestine Mephedrone manufacturing unit operating in Latur, Maharashtra. The operation led to the seizure of 11.36 kilograms of Mephedrone - valued at approximately Rs 17 crore in the illicit market - along with substantial quantities of raw materials and laboratory equipment.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding a drug syndicate involved in the illegal production of Mephedrone, a banned substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, DRI officials launched a targeted operation on April 8, 2025. The facility was discovered in a remote, hilly area of Rohina village in Latur district.
During the raid, officers recovered 8.44 kg of Mephedrone in dry powder form and 2.92 kg in liquid form. A fully equipped laboratory setup and a large cache of raw materials used in the drug's manufacture were also seized.
Five individuals were arrested on-site, including a serving police constable allegedly involved in the operation. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of two additional suspects in Mumbai - a distributor and a financier - bringing the total number of arrests to seven.
"The total value of the seized Mephedrone is estimated at Rs 17 crore in the black market. All seven individuals have confessed to their roles in the financing, production, and trafficking of the psychotropic substance," DRI officials said.
The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985, and further investigations are underway.
(with PTI inputs)
