Pune Police Invoke PIT-NDPS Act For First Time Against Repeat Drug Suspect

Pune: The Mundhwa police have invoked the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, 1988, against a 32-year-old woman suspected of repeatedly dealing in illegal drugs. Police identified the woman as Reena Ravi Ghumane.

She has been detained under the preventive detention law and shifted to Kolhapur Central Prison in Kalamba under police escort. Police officials said this is the first PIT-NDPS preventive detention action in Pune city. Similar cases have earlier been reported in Navi Mumbai and Nagpur.

Two NDPS cases in three years

According to police, Ghumane was first booked by the Mundhwa police in 2022 under Sections 8(c) and 20(b)(ii)(b) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

She was granted bail by the Pune Sessions Court on Aug 8, 2022.

Police alleged that she later returned to illegal narcotics-related activities. A second case was registered against her at the Mundhwa police station on May 19, 2025.

The second case was registered under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(b) and 29 of the NDPS Act. She was again granted bail.

After reviewing the two cases and her criminal record, senior police officials decided to initiate preventive detention proceedings against her.

Proposal sent through Pune Police Commissioner

The police prepared a proposal for action under the PIT-NDPS Act. It was forwarded through the Pune Police Commissioner to the competent authority for approval.

After the proposal was approved, Ghumane was detained under the Act and taken to Kolhapur Central Prison.

The police said the action was taken to prevent her from allegedly continuing her involvement in drug-related activities.

What is PIT-NDPS preventive detention?

The PIT-NDPS Act allows authorities to detain people as a preventive measure when they are suspected of involvement in the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

It is different from a regular case registered under the NDPS Act. An NDPS case deals with a specific alleged offence and goes through the criminal justice process. Preventive detention is aimed at stopping a person from allegedly continuing such activities.

DCP (Zone 6) Jeevan Beniwal said the law can be used against repeat offenders after the prescribed conditions are fulfilled.

“PIT-NDPS is an extended version of the actual NDPS. Under this, police can take preventive detention action against any such frequent offender of NDPS cases,” Beniwal said.

He said police can invoke the relevant provisions after completing the required legal process to prevent a suspect from becoming involved in similar offences in the future.

Mundhwa Senior Police Inspector Smita Vasnik said the action against Ghumane was the first preventive detention under the PIT-NDPS Act in Pune city.

The case marks Pune Police’s first use of the preventive detention law against a suspected repeat offender in a narcotics-related case.