Police arrest Kalyani Deshpande in Andhra Pradesh

She was previously known to be running a sex racket from her bungalow in the Sus area of Pune, with a network that reportedly extended across India and abroad

The Anti-Narcotic Cell of the Pimpri-Chinchwad police has arrested notorious criminal Kalyani alias Jayashree Deshpande from Rajanagaram in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. 

In 2016, Deshpande was convicted and sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Sandeep Doiphode (DCP Crime), Pimpri-Chinchwad, said, “In May, our teams received information about Deshpande’s whereabouts and her involvement, along with associates, in an illegal ganja network. We conducted a raid and arrested three people, but Deshpande managed to escape. Since then, we have been trying to trace her using multiple leads and technical surveillance. Recently, we received a credible tip, and a team was dispatched to Andhra Pradesh, where she was finally arrested.” 

Deshpande has been a significant figure in Pune’s criminal underworld for over two decades, with more than two dozen cases registered against her. The charges include violations under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA), the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), as well as allegations of murder and financial fraud. 

She was previously known to be running a sex racket from her bungalow in the Sus area of Pune, with a network that reportedly extended across India and abroad.  

In 2016, Deshpande was convicted and sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment. According to police, she was released from jail in 2023–24 and allegedly resumed illegal activities with the help of her husband and close relatives. 

In the present case, acting on a tip-off, police raided the ‘Kalyani Collection’ shop in Bavdhan on May 24. During the operation, they arrested Kalyani Deshpande’s husband Umesh Deshpande, her niece Aishwarya Ranawade, and Aishwarya’s husband, Abhishek Ranawade, but Kalyani Deshpande yet again managed to escape. 

The arrest on Sunday marks a significant breakthrough in the ongoing crackdown on narcotics in the region.