Muchhad Paanwala, Mumbai's millionaire paan seller, arrested in drug case, sent to judicial custody

Muchhad Paanwala, Mumbai's millionaire and famous paan seller at Kemps Corner, who was questioned by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Monday, has been arrested in a drug case. Muchhad Paanwala was arrested on Tuesday following hours of interrogation by the agency.

Muchhad Paanwala's name had come up after the NCB busted a major marijuana smuggling racket and arrested a British national and two women from Bandra, Mumbai in connection with a Marijuana supply ring case.

Brothers Ram Kumar Tiwari and Jaishankar Tiwari run the famous Mucchad Paan shop at Kemps Corner. While Jaishankar, too, was questioned on Monday, the NCB has arrested only Ram Kumar for drug peddling. He will be produced in court today. Jaishankar Tiwari, too, is known as Muchhad Paanwala.

Muchhad Paanwala has been sent to judicial custody by a magistrate court in Mumbai. His lawyers have appealed for bail.

The NCB had on Monday also questioned Jaishankar Tiwari. The two brothers run shops for six months each. Both of them are famous millionaire paan vendors from South Mumbai and had been called in connection with Marijuana ring busted by the agency on Saturday.

The questioning which started on Monday morning went on till late evening.

Sources from the NCB confirmed that a scheduled NDPS substance was recovered from Muchhad Paanwala's shop located in the upscale Kemp's Corner locality of South Mumbai. Post recovery of the scheduled substance, Tiwari was summoned to the NCB office where he arrived at around 10:30 am.

How did Muchhad Paanwala's name come up in drug probe?

On Saturday, the NCB officials arrested a British national and two women from Bandra in Mumbai in connection with a Marijuana supply ring case. During the interrogation, the accused revealed the drug was being supplied to Muchhad Paanwala at Kemps Corner in South Mumbai.

It was then the NCB summoned Muchhad Paanwala in the drug probe.

Who is Muchhad Paanwala?

People queue up at the Muchhad paan shop in large numbers to buy paan from the famous vendor. The number of customers is so high that Tiwari has employed several people just to roll paan along with his brother at the shop. The shop has been running since the '70s in Mumbai and has been a very famous name.

Muchhad Paanwala caters to Bollywood stars, businessmen and also industrialists residing in the plush upscale Kemps Corner locality of South Mumbai. Tiwari is said to have come to Mumbai in 1977 and started helping his father in the paan vending business.

Since then, his clientele grew and his shop became famous amongst locals. Even tourists visit the paan shop which also has its own website. The paan shop also receives orders on online food ordering portals. Tiwari drives a Mercedes and the paan served at his shop are also catered at some of the major events and functions.