Mumbai concert drug overdose deaths: Bouncer held for giving 'peddlers' entry without tickets

Mumbai, A "bouncer" was arrested on Sunday in the Mumbai concert drug overdose deaths case for allegedly allowing two persons to enter the venue without tickets to peddle drugs, a police official said.

Two MBA students, a man and a woman, died of suspected overdose after consuming alcohol and ecstasy pills during the music concert that took place on April 11 in Goregaon in the north-western part of the metropolis. Both died on April 12, while a third student is undergoing treatment at Bombay Hospital.

The Vanrai police station official said Pradip Arvind Gupta, a bouncer who was part of the security crew at the concert, gave alleged drug peddlers Ayush Sahitya and Vinit Garlani entry into the venue though the two did not have tickets.


"Gupta took Rs 1000 each from both to let them in. With Gupta's arrest, the number of people held in the case has reached 10. The other nine who have been arrested comprise six alleged drug suppliers and three individuals linked to the organisation of the concert," the official said.

He identified the 10 as Ayush Sahitya, Prateek Pandey, Raunak Khandelwal, Anand Patel, Vinit Garlani, Shubh Agarwal, Akash Sanal, Sunny Jain, Balkrishna Kurup and Pradip Gupta.

The victims were part of a group of around 20 to 22 students who had attended the event, the official said.

"Preliminary investigations indicate some of them had consumed ecstasy before entering the venue, while alcohol was also consumed during the concert. Several attendees reportedly felt unwell and were rushed to hospitals in Jogeshwari and other private medical facilities," he added.

A case under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and other relevant provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at Vanrai police station.