Pune: Convicted Rathi Murder Case Perpetrator Caught With Opium Worth Rs 3.59 Lakh, Was Released From Jail After 28 Years
Wakad, 4th September 2023: The prime suspect in the infamous Rathi murder case, which had sent shockwaves through Pune decades ago, has been apprehended by the Wakad police for attempting to smuggle opium shortly after his release from prison.
Narayan Chetanram Chaudhary, aged 41 and hailing from Jalbsar, Bikaner, Rajasthan, had spent 28 years behind bars before being released from jail. Pimpri Chinchwad police confiscated opium valued at Rs 3.59 lakhs from him.
Chaudhary’s arrest took place during a routine check by the Wakad police on the Mumbai-Pune highway. Upon questioning, Chaudhary provided evasive responses, leading the police to search his belongings, where they discovered 898 grams of opium, valued at Rs 3.59 lakhs. Chaudhary confessed to transporting the opium from Rajasthan.
Notably, Chaudhary had been arrested on September 5, 1994, in connection with the brutal murder of seven members of the same family in Kothrud on August 26, 1994. Subsequently, he and his accomplices had been sentenced to death in 1998. Chaudhary had spent the past 28 years in various state prisons. However, on March 27, 2023, the Supreme Court commuted his death sentence, leading to his release, as he was a minor at the time of the crime.
Following his release, he had returned to Rajasthan but ventured to Pune to engage in opium smuggling. Narayan Chaudhary has been remanded in police custody until September 6.
Join Punekar News Whatsapp Group, Telegram, Instagram And Twitter For Regular Update about Pune City And Pimpri-Chinchwad