Pune Police have busted a major drug racket with international links, seizing narcotics worth Rs 3.45 crore. Coordinated raids in Pune, Mumbai, and Goa led to five arrests and the discovery of a flat used for cultivating hydroponic cannabis.
Pune Police claimed to have busted a major drug racket after seizing hydroponic cannabis being cultivated inside a rented flat in the Pimpri Chinchwad city of the district and recovering narcotic substances worth around Rs 3.45 crore.
International Drug Network Uncovered
Senior police officials said the investigation indicates the involvement of an international drug trafficking network. According to Deputy Commissioner of Polic (DCP) Somay Munde, who was leading the case, said, "The racket came to light following the arrest of an accused in a drug sale case, after which police carried out coordinated operations in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Mumbai and Goa. During the raids, various narcotic substances, including mephedrone, hydroponic cannabis (Ozikush), charas and LSD, were seized."
Five Arrested, Bank Accounts Frozen
He further informed, "Five accused have been arrested in the case. They have been identified as Tushar Chetan Verma (21), Sumit Santosh Dedwal (25), Akshay Sukhlal Maher (25), Malay Rajesh Deliwala (28) and Swaraj Anant Bhosale (28). Police have also frozen Rs 7.80 lakh from the bank accounts of the arrested accused. All the accused have been remanded to police custody."
How the Investigation Unfolded
Police said Verma was initially apprehended from the Khadki area based on specific inputs about narcotics sale. During interrogation, it was revealed that his associates Dedwal and Maher had rented a flat in the Pimpri area, where hydroponic marijuana was being cultivated. Acting on this information, a police team raided the flat and seized hydroponic cannabis along with equipment used for its cultivation.
Further interrogation led police to the main trafficker, Malay Deliwala, who was arrested along with Swaraj Bhosale from Mumbai. Subsequent raids were also conducted in Goa, where additional narcotics were recovered.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and senior officers from the city police and crime branch, the police added.
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