Pune Drug Haul: Enforcement Directorate Seeks Details of Accused From Pune Police

Pune: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought details of the persons arrested by Pune police in Maharashtra in last month's mephedrone drug haul case, a senior official said.

The city police in February seized more than 1,700 kilograms of mephedrone, valued at about ₹3,600 crore in illicit markets, across Pune, Delhi and Sangli.

Eleven persons, including the owner of a manufacturing unit in Kurkumbh MIDC (near Pune), where the contraband was allegedly produced, were apprehended.

"We received a letter from the Enforcement Directorate on Monday, seeking information about the accused. Given the magnitude of the drug racket, it was expected that the ED would seek details," the crime branch official said on Tuesday.

The central agency asked for information about the accused, their bank accounts and locations where searches were conducted. "Based on the information, the agency will investigate money trails and suspected hawala transactions involving the accused," he said.

The police have arrested 11 people in the case so far, with five now in judicial custody and six in police custody.

"Four suspects, including mastermind Sandip Dhunay who has fled the country, are wanted in the case," the official said.

After the Lalit Patil drug case in 2023, the Pune Police uncovered a staggering ₹3,676 crore mephedrone bust last month across multiple cities. Alongside these significant seizures, cases of drug peddling in the city are also surfacing. Namami Shankar Jha, a peddler, was apprehended by Sangvi Police officials during a routine patrol, with a bag containing 2.32kg of mephedrone seized from him. Shortly after, police officer Vikas Shelke, attached to the Nigdi Police Station, was arrested in connection with the seizure of 45kg of mephedrone.

These recent incidents are part of a larger trend in the city. Over the past two years, the Pune Police have intensified efforts to combat drug smuggling, resulting in the seizure of narcotics valued at over ₹27 crore and action taken against 415 individuals involved in illicit drug activities.