Pimpri Chinchwad cop arrested for attempting to sell mephedrone handed over to police

Vikas Shelke, the accused officer attached to the Nigdi police station in Pune, came under scanner following the arrest of a peddler, a Nigdi resident, from DP Road in Pimple Nilakh on Friday morning.

Vikas Shelke, the accused officer attached to the Nigdi police station in Pune, came under scanner following the arrest of a peddler, a Nigdi resident, from DP Road in Pimple Nilakh on Friday morning.

A police officer has been arrested in connection with the seizure of 45 kg of mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant drug, in Pimpri Chinchwad.

The peddler, Namami Shankar Jha, landed in the police net during a patrol by Sangvi station officials who recovered a bag of 2.32 kg of mephedrone from him. An FIR was lodged at

Sangvi station under sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

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A court remanded Jha, a native of Bihar, to police custody for seven days. Investigation revealed that Jha was trying to sell the contraband allegedly under the instructions of Shelke.

Thereon, the investigation was transferred to Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Pimpri Chinchwad police. Following information obtained from Jha, investigators seized 42.770 kg mephedrone from the Nigdi area.

The investigation also revealed that a few days before, a private cab driver handed over a bag to the police, which he found abandoned on his way. The police informed their senior—sub inspector Shelke —about the bag.

It is alleged that Shelke came to know that the substance in the bag was Mephedrone. He then allegedly decided to earn money by selling the substance through Jha. Accordingly, Jha contacted a person to search for a buyer for the Mephedrone stock, but this person informed another policeman at Sangvi police station.

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Jha was arrested and a court remanded Shelke to police custody till March 7 for further investigation. The police have so far seized 44.790 kg Mephedrone, estimated at Rs 44.79 crore in the case.

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drugs