The Pune Rural police have arrested two men from Shirur for trafficking mephedrone (MD) using an online delivery app and seized drugs worth Rs 21.52 lakh from them.
Arrest and Investigation
Superintendent of police (Pune Rural), Sandeep Singh Gill, said, "We arrested Vishal More (20) and Pratik Langhe (25), both residents of Shirur, following a tip-off received on April 17." A case was registered at Shirur police station on April 17. Both accused are school dropouts, Gill said.
"An examination of their mobile phones revealed that they used an online delivery app to supply drugs to customers in the Shirur–Ranjangaon area. So far, we have identified over 30 individuals who received drugs through these platforms," Gill added.
Rising Drug Consumption in Industrial Hub
He added that the consumption and sale of MD have been rising in the Shirur–Ranjangaon belt, a major industrial hub. "We will soon launch a campaign to make the area drug-free," he said.
Inspector Pramod Kshirsagar said, "The accused were tech-savvy and used delivery apps to evade detection. They relied on public internet hotspots and scheduled parcel pickups from public roads. To avoid being tracked, they frequently switched off their internet and location services and never dispatched parcels from their residences."
"It was a well-organised drug racket operating in the Shirur and Ranjangaon areas," he added.
Modus Operandi and Next Steps
Gill further said that the duo used services from four different delivery apps to distribute drugs, particularly along the Pune–Nagar Highway. "We are continuing to analyse their mobile phones to trace the source of the drugs," he said.
