Mumbai's Crime Branch ANC Bandra Unit conducted a major raid on a marijuana cultivation field in the Bhoiti area of Shirpur, Dhule District, seizing 2816.5 kilograms of marijuana valued at approximately Rs. 5.63 crore.
On August 15, 2024, officers from the Bandra Anti-Drug Unit, Mumbai, apprehended a man named Akash Chavan in the Sakinaka area for allegedly selling marijuana illegally. During the operation, a total of 47 kg of marijuana was recovered from Chavan. The accused Chavan was booked under Sections 8(c) and 20(c) of the NDPS Act, 1985.
During interrogation, Chavan disclosed that he had procured the marijuana from Kiran Koli, a wanted accused residing in Dhule district. Acting on this information, a team was deployed to locate Koli in Shirpur, Dhule district. Through intelligence inputs, the team identified Koli’s marijuana farm in Bhoiti, where marijuana had been cultivated across a 2.25-acre plot.
A total of 2774 kg of marijuana plants along with 42.5 kg of wet/dried marijuana was seized, amounting to a combined weight of 2816.5 kg, valued at approximately Rs. 5.63 crore. The search for Koli, the main suspect behind this illegal cultivation, is ongoing.
A Crime Branch official stated that following Chavan's arrest, a link to Dhule was discovered. Consequently, Joint Commissioner Lakhmi Gautam directed further investigation into the case. A team led by DCP Datta Nalawade, along with Shyam Ghughe, Senior Police Inspector Jeevan Kharat from the Bandra unit, Rajendra Dahiphale from the Azad Maidan unit, and Police Officer Suresh Bhoye, traveled to Dhule to carry out the required procedures.
With this operation, the ANC has made significant progress in cracking down on marijuana cultivation in the Shirpur area, Dhule district, by seizing over Rs. 5.63 crore worth of marijuana. The investigation is still underway.