Cop Turns Kingpin: Ahilyanagar Constable Arrested in Rs 30 Crore Drug Racket Busted By Pune Rural Police
Pune, 27th January 2026: Investigations have revealed that a police constable was the key mastermind behind the theft and illegal sale of the narcotic drug alprazolam from the central muddemal (case property) store of the Ahilyanagar Police.
Pune Rural Police have arrested five people, including the constable, and seized 10 kilograms and 707 grams of alprazolam. The seized drugs are valued between ₹25 crore and ₹30 crore, Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill said at a press conference.
Those arrested include police constable Shamsundar Vishwanath Gujar (39), Shadab Riyaz Sheikh (41) of Dambe Nala in Shirur taluka, Pune district, Gnyandev alias Mauli Balu Shinde (37), Rishikesh Prakash Chittar (35), both residents of Kurund in Parner taluka, and Mahesh Dadabhau Gaikwad (37) of Hingani in Shrigonda taluka. A case has been registered against them under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Shirur Police Station.
According to police, the alprazolam stolen by Gujar from the muddemal store and sent for sale had earlier been seized by Shrirampur Police last year. Gujar was serving in the Local Crime Branch of the Ahilyanagar Police and was in charge of the central muddemal store, which holds property seized in various criminal cases. His role as a clerk gave him full access and detailed knowledge of the items stored there.
Superintendent of Police Gill said Gujar stole alprazolam from the store and replaced it with another chemical substance that looked similar to the drug. Pune Rural Police Inspector Avinash Shilimkar of the Local Crime Investigation Branch was also present at the press briefing.
On January 17, police received a tip-off that some people would arrive in the Shirur area to sell narcotic drugs. Inspector Shilimkar and his team laid a trap and detained Shadab Sheikh, who runs a garage. Narcotics were seized from him. Further investigation led to the detention of Rishikesh Chittar, who had known constable Gujar for the past two to three years and had received drugs from him for sale.
Police then established that Gaikwad and Shinde had also supplied drugs to Sheikh. All five accused, including Gujar, were arrested. From Sheikh alone, 1 kilogram and 52 grams of alprazolam were recovered. During interrogation, Gujar admitted to stealing the drug from the police muddemal store and supplying it to the others for sale, Gill said.
Background of Police Constable Gujar
Gujar joined the Ahilyanagar Police in 2008. After completing his training, he was posted at Parner Police Station, where he worked as a clerk in the muddemal store. He was later transferred to Tofkhana Police Station in Ahilyanagar city and subsequently to the Local Crime Investigation Branch, where he was again assigned to the muddemal store.
In total, 10 kilograms and 707 grams of alprazolam have been seized from Gujar and his accomplices. Pune Rural Police have launched a comprehensive investigation to determine whether Gujar had stolen and sold other seized items and whether he was involved in similar offences in the past. Pune Rural Police are also coordinating with Ahilyanagar Police as part of the probe, Superintendent Gill said.
