The Aryavarth Express
Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu): Railway Police at Rameswaram Railway Station seized 10 kg of cannabis from an unclaimed bag found aboard the Bhubaneswar Express in the early hours of Sunday.
The seizure was made during a routine inspection after the train arrived at the station around 1 am. Police noticed a suspicious, unattended bag in the unreserved compartment. Upon checking, they recovered five packets of cannabis concealed inside the bag. The contraband, banned in Tamil Nadu, was immediately seized. The estimated value of the drugs has not been disclosed, and further investigation is underway to identify those responsible.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, Pune Police recently claimed to have busted a major drug racket involving the cultivation of hydroponic cannabis inside a rented flat in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Narcotic substances worth approximately Rs 3.45 crore were recovered during coordinated raids across Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Mumbai and Goa.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Somay Munde, the racket was uncovered following the arrest of an accused in a drug sale case. Subsequent investigations led to the seizure of various narcotics, including mephedrone, hydroponic cannabis (Ozikush), charas and LSD.
Five accused—Tushar Chetan Verma (21), Sumit Santosh Dedwal (25), Akshay Sukhlal Maher (25), Malay Rajesh Deliwala (28) and Swaraj Anant Bhosale (28)—have been arrested. Police have also frozen Rs 7.80 lakh from their bank accounts, and all the accused have been remanded to police custody.
Investigators revealed that Verma was first arrested in Pune’s Khadki area based on specific inputs. Interrogation led police to a rented flat in Pimpri, where hydroponic cannabis was being cultivated using specialised equipment. Further questioning resulted in the arrest of the alleged main trafficker in Mumbai, followed by additional recoveries in Goa.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and senior officials from the city police and crime branch.
