150 kg marijuana worth Rs 28 lakh seized in Bhigwan

The Bhigwan police in a major raid recovered marijuana estimated to be worth Rs 24 lakh during a raid carried out at an area on Pune-Solapur highway near Bhigwan.

The Bhigwan police in a major raid recovered marijuana estimated to be worth Rs 24 lakh during a raid carried out at an area on Pune-Solapur highway near Bhigwan. The local crime branch swooped down on the marijuana transporter and arrested him red-handed with the contraband estimated to be over 150 kg and costing around Rs 28 lakh in the market from his possession.

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The accused has been identified as Sachin Kumar Miragane, ( 32), who is a resident of Barshi in Solapur district. LCB officials said that they had received a tip-off that a transporter was carrying a huge amount of illegal marijuana in his four-wheeler.

Following the tip-off, a trap was laid and the accused was nabbed by sleuths. The main accused is suspected to a be part of a larger statewide network of marijuana suppliers who operate with the assistance of village-level operatives.

Local crime branch chief Padmakar Ghanwat said that a case under relevant sections of the IPC has been lodged against the accused and investigation was underway to find out if more accused persons were involved in the case. The police were probing the destination and the persons to whom the contraband was scheduled to be delivered he said. A case has been registered against Miragane under relevant sections of the narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances act at Bhigwan police station.

Earlier in June, a farm of cannabis was found by the local crime branch who then had seized drugs estimated to be worth Rs 21 lakh during the raid on the farm.

The local crime branch had arrested Dattu Shankar Shinde, 47, a resident of Shinde vasti area of Girim in Daund taluka who was suspected to be the farmer of the narcotic plant which is illegal and banned in the country.