E-Paper
MD drug racket busted in Pune; 4 held
So far, a total of 8.19 grams of mephedrone, along with mobile phones and vehicles worth ₹2.36 lakh, have been seized in the case
Uttamnagar police arrested four people on Wednesday after busting a mephedrone (MD) drug racket operating in the city.
The action was initiated based on a tip-off received by senior police inspector Raghavendra Kshirsagar regarding the movement of a suspect, identified as Sunil Gopal Rathod, in the Sinhagad Shrushti area. Acting on the information, a police team laid a trap and apprehended Rathod.
During the search, police recovered around 3 grams of mephedrone (MD) and two mobile phones from the accused. Preliminary investigation of the mobile data revealed financial transactions of nearly ₹10 lakh through online payment platforms. Police suspect that ₹5.5 lakh was distributed among six to eight individuals, while money had been collected from nearly 250 to 300 persons.
Further interrogation led to the identification of additional accused, including Shubham Santosh Dahibhate, Rajan Gopal Nair, and Jatin Jayant Kadam, who were allegedly supplying and distributing the narcotic substance. Police said the accused were procuring MD and selling it further in the city, indicating an organised illegal network.
Sambhaji Kadam, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 3), said, “Preliminary investigation has revealed over 300 drug-related transactions linked to consumers and suppliers, indicating a wide network. All four accused have been produced before the NDPS court on Wednesday and remanded to police custody till April 8.”
Raghvendrasingh Kshirsagar, senior police inspector at Uttamnagar police station, said, “All accused are on record criminals and booked in various cases, including Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Accused Rathod was booked last year in a kidnapping case.”
According to Kshirsagar, there is a wider network, and in the last few months police recovered lakhs of rupees in transactions from the accused.
A case has been registered under 8(c), 22(c), 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act and section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. Subsequent raids led to the seizure of an additional 5.19 grams of MD from one of the accused.
So far, a total of 8.19 grams of mephedrone, along with mobile phones and vehicles worth ₹2.36 lakh, have been seized in the case.
