Pune, May 10 (IANS) The Wagholi Police in Pune have busted a major MD (Mephedrone) drug network and arrested eight accused who were allegedly involved in supplying narcotics across the city and nearby rural areas, while also planning to establish an MD drug manufacturing unit in the outskirts of the district, officials said on Sunday.

During the operation, police seized contraband and assets collectively valued at nearly Rs 1.16 crore, officials added.

According to the police, the case began on April 16, when officers intercepted two accused at around 8 p.m. near the Jogeshwari Weighbridge on Theur Road in the Kesnand area.

The accused were allegedly found in possession of five grams and five milligrams of MD drugs valued at around Rs 1.1 lakh.

Following the seizure, a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against five persons.

As the investigation progressed, police uncovered what they described as a larger and organised narcotics supply network operating across Pune city and adjoining rural areas.

Investigators identified the alleged kingpin of the racket as Sumit Ashok Ghule, who was accused of running the drug supply chain with the help of his associates.

According to the police, the gang had allegedly been distributing MD drugs in Pune city as well as in rural regions, including Lonikand, Bhima Koregaon, Shikrapur, Karegaon, Ranjangaon and Shirur.

During further investigation, police also learnt that the accused were allegedly planning to establish a factory for manufacturing MD drugs in rural areas around Pune.

Officials said the gang was reportedly trying to take assistance from another accused who was currently out on bail and had a previous criminal background related to narcotics manufacturing cases.

Acting on technical surveillance and confidential intelligence inputs, police teams traced and arrested the main accused, Sumit Ghule, from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Subsequently, several other accused linked to the racket were also apprehended from different locations. Among those arrested were Akash Ashok Dhawale, Ramniwas Bishnoi, and other associates allegedly involved in the drug trade.

Police said that during the operation, a substantial quantity of MD drugs was recovered from the possession of the accused.

So far, the police have seized a total of 225 grams of MD drugs, estimated to be worth around Rs 45.6 lakh in the illegal market.

Apart from the narcotics, the police also confiscated several luxury vehicles allegedly linked to the drug network, including a BMW car and other expensive automobiles.

Officials said that with the arrest of eight accused, the entire drug distribution network operating under the gang has been dismantled.

The total value of the seized narcotics, vehicles and other confiscated property has been estimated at around Rs 1.16 crore.

The entire operation was carried out under the supervision and guidance of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and other senior police officials.

Police officials said that investigations into the wider network and possible links of the gang with other narcotics syndicates are still underway.

Further details are awaited.

–IANS

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