The Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court granted police custody of Lalit Patil and Harish Pant till October 30. Patil and other co-accused were produced in the court as their remand had ended, while Pant was produced before the court as he had been arrested late at night on October 26. According to the police, Pant was the ‘formula man’ of the drug syndicate and helped Patil brother’s (Bhushan) in the installation of equipment at the location.

The police said Harish Pant, 28, was apprehended from Uttarakhand. The cops had initially detained him, but after he confessed to his role in the drug syndicate he was arrested. “He was the ‘formula man’ of the drug syndicate and helped Patil brother’s (Bhushan) in the installation of equipment at the location. He had technical knowledge and we suspect he also played the role of a middleman between Amir Shaikh and Lalit Patil,” a police officer said, adding that Patil and Pant were acquaintances as the former’s then wife Advocate Pradnya Patil had helped the latter secure bail in an NDPS case before.