Mumbai Live Concert Tragedy: Two Students Die Of 'Drug Overdose', One Critical; Six Arrested

Mumbai: In a shocking incident that brings to light the grim reality of rising drug use among the city's youth, two students died from a suspected MDMA, commonly called ecstasy or molly, drug overdose during a live music concert held at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, police said on Tuesday.

One student is undergoing treatment in the hospital but her condition is critical. Police have arrested six persons, including event organisers and fellow students.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 12, Mahesh Chimte said, "On Saturday, NESCO Ltd and Inspire Events organised a music show at NESCO Hall Number 5, the Techno 9 Time 9 Warehouse Edition. During this show, three youths complained of feeling dizzy and extremely unwell. They were rushed immediately to the nearest hospital. Among them, two died and one is still hospitalised. Now the person's condition is stable. A First Information Report has been registered with Vanrai police station and investigations have been carried out. Now, six accused individuals have been arrested and investigations are ongoing."

The arrested individuals are Vihan, also known as Akash Samal, the organiser of the techno show, Sunny Jain, Manager of NESCO, Balkrishna Kurup, security head of NESCO, Raunak Khandelwal, drug supplier. Anand Patel, drug dealer was arrested in Kalyan in Thane district.

Police are searching for the main accused in this matter. Those apprehended have been sent to police custody by a local court till April 16.

According to police, a live techno-music concert was held on April 11, which was attended by nearly 3,000 to 4,000 youths. Reports suggest that drugs and alcohol were consumed in large quantities at the concert. Police officials said they are specifically investigating the illegal distribution of narcotics and alcohol to underage youth. There were also reports of multiple safety violations at this venue.

During the event, suddenly the health condition of many students deteriorated after they allegedly consumed excessive amounts of drugs. Consequently, two young women were immediately admitted to the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital, while a young man was shifted to Lifeline Hospital in Goregaon West for treatment.

The person admitted to Lifeline Hospital passed away while undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, after being discharged from the Trauma Care Hospital, two young women were transferred to a private hospital for further medical care, where one of them died on Monday afternoon, while the other remains in critical condition and is currently undergoing treatment.

An FIR was registered at the Vanrai police station under culpable homicide provisions on April 13, and investigations are underway, an official said. Blood samples of the deceased students have been sent for forensic analysis. The report is currently pending and only after its receipt will it become clear exactly what type of drugs were consumed, he added.

The incident has once again raised the demand for implementing stricter measures to curb the rampant use of narcotics at such large-scale events.

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