3 min readPuneMar 1, 2026 10:43 PM IST
In a major drug bust ahead of Holi, the Pune Rural Police seized 478.950 kg of marijuana concealed in 465 adhesive-taped packets and hidden inside empty water drums abandoned on a farm in Baramati. Police suspect the consignment was stockpiled to cater to increased demand for narcotics during the festival period.
According to the police, on Saturday evening, Baramati police received specific information from a confidential informant that two plastic drums containing marijuana had been kept in an agricultural field at Jaloche, Pimpali Road in Baramati. A police team was immediately dispatched to the spot.
On reaching the location, officers found the area to be open, isolated and situated in an agricultural zone. Two white plastic drums of 1,500-litre capacity were found locked with latches and steel padlocks. Police said a strong smell resembling marijuana was emanating from the drums. A spot panchnama was conducted in the presence of a gazetted officer and government panch witnesses.
The drums were then taken to the Baramati police station, where a seizure panchnama was carried out under CCTV surveillance and in the presence of a gazetted officer. Police found 465 ganja packets wrapped in khaki paper and sealed with adhesive tape inside the two drums — 232 packets in the first drum and 233 in the second.
The total weight of the seized contraband was 478.950 kg, valued at Rs 2.39 crore in the illegal international market, police said.
“Prima facie, it appears that unknown suspects had brought the large quantity of marijuana to the Baramati area with the intention of selling it during the Holi festival. However, due to the strict checkpoints, vehicle inspections, and night patrols, the suspects are believed to have abandoned the drugs in the two drums at the spot and fled,” said Police Inspector Shreeshail Chivadshetti of Baramati police station.
Police said further investigation is underway to identify the suspects, trace the source of the contraband and map the supply network behind the consignment. Officers are analysing CCTV footage from nearby highways and toll plazas and verifying the ownership of the seized drums, as well as the routes suspected to have been used for transportation.
Story continues below this ad
Efforts are also on to ascertain whether the consignment is linked to an inter-state trafficking racket and to identify the intended recipients in the region. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, and multiple teams have been formed to track down those involved.
