3 cops suspended after a photo showing accused in drugs case receiving VIP treatment at MIDC Waluj police station surfaces

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Police commissioner Pravin Pawar suspended three constables from the anti-narcotics cell on Wednesday after a photograph revealed Baban Khan, a key accused in a ₹1.2 crore mephedrone seizure case, receiving VIP treatment inside a police station. Pravin Pawar also transferred the case investigation from the anti-narcotics cell to the crime branch, led by inspector Sambhaji Pawar.Constables Vijay Tribhuvan, Nitesh Sundarde, and Mahesh Ugle were suspended for allegedly providing preferential treatment to Khan, one of the five arrested accused. The suspension followed the emergence of a photo showing Khan dining with his family members inside the MIDC Waluj police station while in custody for a major drug trafficking case."Irrespective of the reason the policemen cite, any special treatment to any accused cannot be tolerated. We will ensure stringent action against those found guilty in the inquiry," police commissioner Pawar told TOI.He added the preliminary inquiry into the alleged VIP treatment has been assigned to ACP (Cidco) Sudarshan Patil, while the main investigation of the narcotics case is now with the crime branch.The suspended constables argued that Khan was elderly and suffering from diabetes and hypertension, necessitating the provision of food before formal arrest procedures. "He also has a rod in his leg, due to which it is difficult for him to bend his knee and sit on the floor," a policeman familiar with the incident said. However, senior officers took serious cognisance of the incident, claiming it violated protocol and undermined the gravity of the crime.The controversy follows a major drug bust on June 21, when the anti-narcotics squad, led by inspector Geeta Bagwade, intercepted two mini trucks in Sajaapur, recovering 2.5 kg of an MD-like substance concealed in scrap from a multinational pharmaceutical company based in MIDC Waluj. After tests confirmed the powder as drugs, a case was registered on Tuesday morning, and Khan, along with Shafi Fularahman Tafazzul Hussain (45) and Raj Ramteerth Adhure (38), both from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, were arrested immediately. Police said they have apprehended two more accused in this case.The incident has raised concerns over lax enforcement in the Waluj industrial area, previously scrutinised during a ₹250 crore drug bust led by the DRI and Ahmedabad crime branch in October 2023.