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14 marijuana shrubs seized from temple premises in Shirur; one arrested
The head of the math, identified as Shantaram Baburao Dobhale, alias Bapu Maharaj (53), has been arrested in this regard. He was produced before a Shirur court that sent him to three days’ police custody on Friday
The Shirur police, during a raid on Friday, recovered 41kg of marijuana (ganja), including 14 marijuana shrubs from a temple complex in Kathapur Khurd village in Shirur, some 70km from Pune.
Aside from the contraband, the police also seized deer horn and hide from the premises of Hanuman Mandir Math.
The head of the math, identified as Shantaram Baburao Dobhale, alias Bapu Maharaj (53), has been arrested in this regard. He was produced before a Shirur court that sent him to three days’ police custody on Friday. Police have booked the accused under relevant sections of the Wild Life Act and NDPS act.
Inspector Sureshkumar Raut, Shirur police, received a tip-off about the sale of marijuana inside the temple complex.
“Accordingly, we laid a trap and nabbed the accused from the premises. We have seized fourteen shrubs along with deer hide and horns from the campus. In total, we have seized 41kg of ganja estimated to be worth ₹2.57 lakh,” PI Raut said.
The Pune rural police, in August, seized marijuana worth ₹13.75 lakh in Kamshet.
The Shirur police in April had seized 78kg of cannabis and arrested four persons.
