Three more arrested in Rs 28.5L hydroponic ganja case; Panvel link surfaces

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The city crime branch has arrested three more individuals from Raigad district in connection with the hydroponic ganja case, in which two college students were earlier caught with contraband worth Rs 28.5 lakh.Police identified the newly arrested as a 33-year-old BBA student from Panvel, a 20-year-old LLB student from Indiabulls from Panvel and a 20-year-old student from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The arrests follow the March 10 detention of a 20-year-old first-year engineering student and a 23-year-old MBA finance student, who were intercepted near Baba Petrol Pump with 285 grams of hydroponic ganja.Police said the operation was launched around 10.20am on March 10 after receiving a tip-off about two youths transporting drugs along the Lohandi Pool-Baba Petrol Pump stretch. The team recovered eight zip-lock pouches of hydroponic ganja from a plastic carry bag wrapped in brown tape.The seized 285 grams of contraband is valued at Rs 28.5 lakh, with the drug fetching nearly Rs 10,000 per gram in the illegal market. A digital weighing scale, two cellphones and a motorcycle were also confiscated, taking the total seizure to Rs 29.51 lakh.Police commissioner Pravin Pawar said the investigation revealed financial links between the initially arrested students and suspects in Panvel. "Interrogation showed that the hydroponic ganja was supplied through a contact from Panvel. Financial transactions with his associates came to light, prompting our teams to head to Raigad district," Pawar said.Acting on technical analysis and leads obtained during questioning, a crime branch team traced the suspects to housing societies in Kongao, Panvel. The three were detained and later confessed to their role in the offence, officers said.All three have been brought to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and handed over to the Kranti Chowk police station for further probe. The police said efforts were on to identify the main supplier and others involved in the racket. The investigation is being led by Sub-inspector Kishor Tanpure of the Kranti Chowk police station.