Hunt for Kidnapping Accused Leads Pune Police to Major MD Drug Racket, Four Arrested

Pune, 1st April 2026: The Uttamnagar police have arrested a wanted accused in a kidnapping case and unearthed a suspected drug trafficking network operating in the city.

Based on a tip-off received by senior police inspector Raghavendrasinh Kshirsagar, the accused, identified as Sunil Gopal Rathod, was expected to visit the Sinhgad Srushti area. Acting on the information, a team led by sub-inspector Akshay Patil laid a trap and apprehended him.

During a search, police recovered 3 grams of mephedrone (MD) and two mobile phones from his possession. He was taken to Uttamnagar police station for further questioning. Examination of his mobile phone revealed transactions of nearly Rs 20 lakh through digital payment platforms such as PhonePe and Google Pay.

Police said preliminary investigation indicated that Rathod had distributed around Rs 5.5 lakh to six to eight individuals, while payments from nearly 250 to 300 persons were credited to his account. During interrogation, he allegedly admitted to procuring mephedrone from associates — identified as Shubham Dahibhate, Rajan Nair and Jatin Kadam — and selling it further based on demand.

Officials said background checks revealed that the accused and his associates have prior criminal records registered at various police stations across Pune.

Following the findings, a case was registered at Uttamnagar police station under relevant sections of the NDPS Act and the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, including provisions related to criminal conspiracy and harbouring offenders.

Considering the scale of the operation, police have so far identified eight accused in the case, of whom two have been arrested. Shubham Santosh Dahibhate, one of the accused was apprehended from Uttamnagar and 5.19 grams of mephedrone was recovered during a search at his residence. Two other accused identifies as Rajan Gopal Nayar, a resident of Uttamnagar and Jateen Jaywant Kadam, a resident of Warje were also arrested by the city crime branch and handed over to Uttamnagar police for further investigation.

The police have so far seized 8.19 grams of mephedrone in the case and arrested four accused. A court has remanded the arrested accused to police custody till April 8. Further investigation is underway.