By Swastika Sahu
Five people were arrested and about 3.45 crore worth of drugs and equipment were seized after Pune police discovered a high-tech hydroponic ganja production and drug trafficking network operating out of a rented flat in Pimpri-Chinchwad, while also freezing ₹7.80 lakh held across bank accounts, cryptocurrency wallets, and foreign currency linked to the accused.
Fuelled by ambition and backed by artificial intelligence, two MBA graduates allegedly converted their rented Pimpri apartment into a covert hydroponic marijuana grow room. With raw material supplied by two Mumbai- grounded connections, their operation snappily evolved into a megacity-wide medicine network dealing in nine different synthetic substances.
It all started with the arrest of a huckster in Khadki during routine patrolling. The police restrained Tushar Varma, 21, a Delhi native presently staying in Susgaon, and seized 1.194 kg of Ganja and an electronic importing scale from him. A case was filed against Varma under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Varma admitted to carrying the drugs from Akshay Maher and Sumit Deadwal during questioning. Based on this evidence, the police arrested Deadwal and Maher, both from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, for operating a hydroponic cannabis plant that produced OG-Kush within a fully air-conditioned flat that they had rented two months prior.
Though, both of them originally tried to mislead the investigators, sustained questioning by DCP led to pivotal exposures.
“The racket came to light following the arrest of an indicted in a drug trade case, after which police carried out coordinated operations in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Mumbai, and Goa,” stated Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Somay Munde, who was in charge of the case. Mephedrone, hydroponic cannabis (Ozikush), Charas, and LSD were among the drugs found during the raids..
The police extended the investigation to Mumbai and Goa, where more raids were carried out, using specialised surveillance and financial analysis. Malay Deliwala and Swaraj Bhosale from Mumbai were taken into custody by the police during these operations. In Goa, posterior searches were also carried out and new anaesthetics were found. Ganja, Charas, MD, psychedelic mushrooms, LSD blotter sheets, cannabis sweets, MAMD capsules, and CBD oil paintings were among the many anaesthetics they found.
The alleged perpetrator supposedly interacted through social media, employing drug-associated aliases and sustaining distinct identities on the dark web. “They first gave false addresses, but we followed their e-commerce shipping logs to reveal the concealed production facility,” said the DCP.
The operation was executed under the supervision of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and other high-ranking officials from the city police and crime branch.