Steel Trader Caught with Rs 15 Lakh Worth of Opium in Pune’s Kondhwa
Kondhwa, 8th July 2025: In a major anti-narcotics operation, the Pune City Crime Branch arrested a 46-year-old steel trader from Kondhwa Khurd on Saturday evening for possession of nearly 750 grams of opium and related materials valued at over ₹15 lakh.
The accused, identified as Bhagirathram Bishnoi, is a resident of Tilekarnagar along the Katraj-Kondhwa bypass. Officials said he was apprehended behind a local temple in Kondhwa, where he was allegedly attempting to sell the illegal substance.
The operation was led by Inspector Prashant Annachatre of the Anti-Narcotics Cell 1. While on patrol duty, policeman Sachin Malve received a tip-off about a man trying to peddle opium in the area. Acting swiftly on the intelligence, the team conducted a search and detained Bishnoi.
“During the search, we recovered 749 grams of opium, along with a mobile phone and a digital weighing scale,” Inspector Annachatre confirmed. “Our investigation reveals that the accused had recently traveled to Rajasthan, where he procured the narcotic. He brought it to Pune in hopes of selling it locally, possibly to recover financial losses incurred in his business.”
Police officials said they are now working to trace the supply chain and identify others connected to the illegal drug network.
A formal case under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against Bishnoi at Kondhwa police station. Further investigation is underway.
