The Pune Rural Police have arrested a youth for allegedly selling ‘Banta Goli (Cannabis Chewable Balls)’.
The accused has been identified as Vipul Sandip Vitkar, 20, a resident of Ranjangaon village in Shirur taluka. Pune district.
In a press release on Saturday, the police said that a team comprising personnel from the local crime branch and Ranjangaon police station raided Vitkar’s house and a ‘Paan tapri’ (paan shop) near the government hospital in MIDC area of Ranjangaon on January 10.
During the raid, about 203.6 kilograms of ‘Banta Goli’, valued at Rs 57,300, were seized. Subsequently, a first information report (FIR) was lodged against Vitkar at the Ranjangaon police station under sections 223, 274, 275 and 123 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Food Safety Act.
“The accused was produced before a court on January 11. The court remanded him to police custody for two days. During investigation, the accused said that he procured the contraband seized from a company in Karnataka a few months ago,” said police sub-inspector Avinash Thorat, the investigating officer.
Thorat said that ‘Banta Goli’ is made of ganja, which is a banned drug under the NDPS Act. “So far, an investigation has revealed that the accused was selling Banta Goli for the last few years. Further investigation is underway,” Thorat added.
Police said the accused had no criminal record.