Dharashiv cops arrest key supplier in Rs 10.4cr hashish oil case; hunt on for receiver

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Dharashiv police's local crime branch has arrested the alleged main supplier in the Rs 10.4-crore hashish oil trafficking case from a remote, Naxal-hit hilly region in Odisha, nearly three weeks after the contraband was seized during a nakabandi operation in Naldurg on April 19.The police identified the arrested accused as Prasenjit Khrimhan Das (33) of Odisha. Das was arrested on May 7 and brought to Dharashiv on Sunday night.According to the police, Das allegedly supplied the hashish oil to two accused earlier arrested from Malegaon in Nashik district. A manhunt has now been launched for the key receiver of the consignment, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.An FIR was registered on April 20 at the Naldurg police station under sections 8(c), 20(b)(2)(c), 25 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Following this, the Dharashiv police arrested Wasim Idris Shah and Mohsin Khan Hayat Khan from Malegaon in Nashik rural district. Their interrogation and technical analysis led investigators to the Odisha connection and eventually to Das.Superintendent of police Ritu Khoker Kalyan said the operation posed significant challenges due to the lack of initial information and the difficult terrain. "We only had the suspect's name, with no details about his appearance or exact location. Despite this, our team carried out a highly discreet and technically-driven investigation to trace and arrest him," she said.It was on the night of April 19, the Naldurg police were conducting a nakabandi on a highway stretch. On spotting the police, occupants of a car allegedly threw a bag containing hashish oil and fled. During inspection, the police recovered 10 litres of hashish oil worth Rs 10.4 crore from the abandoned bag. An offence was subsequently registered at the Naldurg police station.Local crime branch inspector Vinod Ijjapwar said, "Our team travelled to Odisha and gathered intelligence at multiple levels. We received credible inputs that the accused was hiding in a remote, Naxal-hit hilly area. The operation was executed with utmost secrecy and caution."A special team led by assistant inspector Sachin Khatke, along with personnel Vinod Janrao, Nitin Jadhavar, Baban Jadhavar, Mahebub Arab and Rohit Dandnaik, carried out the operation to successfully detain Das.Police officers said bringing the accused safely from the remote region to Dharashiv was itself a complex task due to security concerns in the area. Further investigation is under way.