In a shocking case of diversion and sale of large quantities of illicit drugs seized in police action, the Pune Rural Police arrested five men, including a 39-year-old Ahilyanagar police constable, and seized over 10 kilograms of drugs from him. The police have not yet determined what drug it is, as the forensic examination report is awaited.
The investigation by the Pune The rural police began by seizing more than 1 kg of drugs from the owner of a garage in Shirur. A press release by the Pune Rural Police in this regard identified the seized drug as ‘mephedrone’. However, it had not yet been confirmed by forensic analysis. The investigation has revealed that the drugs were stolen from the seized items in the custody of the Ahilyanagar police, which in May last year had seized crystals of tranquilizer Alprazolam and its raw material worth over Rs 13 million.
A joint investigation by Pune Rural Local Crime Branch and Shirur Police Station was launched following specific intelligence obtained on January 17. Auto workshop owner Shadab Shaikh, 41, was arrested in the early hours of January 18. The seized drugs weighed around one kilogram and 52 grams each.
Sandeep Singh Gill, superintendent of police of Pune rural, told The indian express“We had obtained crucial clues about a larger drug racket after the seizure of over 1 kg of drugs from Shirur. Our teams continued to work on those leads. As the investigation progressed, our team zeroed in on a serving police constable of Ahilyanagar police. We got concrete evidence that he was involved in drug dealing. We have also seized large quantities of drugs in follow-up actions, taking the total seizure to over 10 kg now. An investigation was subsequently launched about the source of the drugs and the forward and backward links of the arrested suspects.”
A Pune rural police officer said, “At the time of the first seizure from Shirur, we thought it was mephedrone as the substance is crystalline and white. However, the Ahilyanagar police seizure is crystalline alprazolam. The samples have already been sent for forensic identification and reports are awaited.”
Police identified the arrested officer as Shyamsundar Gujar (39), who is currently posted in the Local Crimes Division of Ahilyanagar police and has been given the responsibility of inventorying items seized in criminal cases. Gujar was arrested on Wednesday and produced before a court in Shirur. The court has remanded him in police custody till January 26.
A senior police officer who is part of the investigation said, “We have so far arrested a total of five people along with Shaikh and Gujar. These three people were part of the alleged transport and sale of drugs.” Police have identified the three more suspects as Dnyandev Shinde (37), Rushikesh Chittar (35) and Mahesh Gaikwad (27).
When contacted, Somnath Gharge, Ahilyanagar superintendent of police said, “We have been informed of the officer’s arrest. We have initiated possible strict action against him. We are waiting for more information about his role in the case.”
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Mephedrone, which has various street names such as Meow Meow, White Magic, M-Cat and Drone, is a synthetically manufactured stimulant from the category of amphetamines and cathinones. Until early 2010, the drug was not included in the list of illegal drugs under the NDPS Act. But multiple seizures of large quantities of the drug and increasing cases of its use as a narcotic in cities led authorities to list it in 2015. Consumption of the drug has reported rapid growth across India in recent years.
On the other hand, alprazolam is a prescription anxiolytic that belongs to the benzodiazepine category and is commonly abused and abused for its sedative effects. Due to its high potential for abuse and dependence, the drug is regulated under the NDPS Act in India when possessed or trafficked without a valid authorization.