Two MBA graduates use AI to grow hydroponic marijuana in rented Hinjewadi flat & peddling drugs, held

Pune: Fuelled by ambition and aided by artificial intelligence, two MBA graduates allegedly transformed their rented Hinjewadi apartment into a covert hydroponic marijuana grow room. With raw material supplied by two Mumbai-based contacts, their operation quickly evolved into a city-wide drug network dealing in nine different synthetic substances.Their empire, however, came crashing down when a Khadki police team arrested Tushar Chetan Verma (21), an engineering student from Delhi residing in Sus, for possession of hydroponic marijuana on Nov 28. The arrest was led by senior inspector Vikramsinh Kadam, inspector Kiran Gaikwad, and sub-inspector Digvijay Chougule.Verma's interrogation pointed investigators to the two MBA graduates. Deputy commissioner of police Somay Munde said, "Sumit Dedwal (25) and Akshay Meher (25), both originally from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and living in Hinjewadi, were arrested for running a hydroponic marijuana setup producing OG-Kush inside a fully air-conditioned flat in Hinjewadi they had rented two months ago."Further investigation revealed that the accused leveraged cryptocurrencies, the dark web and social media platforms to manufacture and distribute drugs. "Despite lacking any medical or pharmaceutical background, the duo used artificial intelligence (AI) to design and operate the production unit within the flat instead of acquiring an industrial space," Munde said.The Pune police seized OG-Kush, equipment, saplings, and other items worth Rs 45 lakh from the flat. "The plants have been destroyed. The rent agreement was registered under Meher's name," Munde said.During questioning, Meher and Dedwal disclosed details about two Mumbai-based suppliers. "Malay Rajesh Deliwala (28) from Ghatkopar (west) and Swaraj Bhosale (28) from Kurla were later arrested for providing raw material. Deliwala was detained near Mumbai airport after returning from Assam," DCP Munde said.A subsequent raid on Deliwala's Mumbai residence uncovered hydroponic marijuana, regular marijuana, hashish, CBD oil and other contraband worth Rs 2.8 crore. "Preliminary findings indicate they sourced raw materials from a Thailand-based supplier, disguised as electronic goods, and paid vendors using cryptocurrency," Munde said.The accused reportedly connected via social media, using drug-related pseudonyms and maintaining separate identities on the dark web. "They initially provided fake addresses, but we traced their e-commerce delivery records to uncover the hidden manufacturing unit," the DCP said."In total, we have seized drugs, equipment, and valuables worth Rs 3.45 crore in the case. Additionally, 25 bank accounts and crypto wallets have been frozen for further investigation," an officer involved in the investigation said.