Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 21 (ANI): The Railway Police at Rameswaram Railway Station recovered 10 kg of cannabis hidden in an unclaimed bag in the Bhubaneswar Express coach.

The police were conducting a routine inspection of the train, which arrived at the station at 1 am, when they stumbled upon the suspicious bag in the unreserved compartment.

Upon opening the bag, the police found five packets of cannabis, which is banned by the Tamil Nadu government. The estimated value of the seized contraband is not specified.

The case is under further investigation.

Earlier, Pune Police claimed to have busted a major drug racket after seizing hydroponic cannabis being cultivated inside a rented flat in the Pimpri Chinchwad city of the district and recovering narcotic substances worth around Rs 3.45 crore.

Senior police officials said the investigation indicates the involvement of an international drug trafficking network.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Somay Munde, who was leading the case, said, 'The racket came to light following the arrest of an accused in a drug sale case, after which police carried out coordinated operations in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Mumbai and Goa. During the raids, various narcotic substances, including mephedrone, hydroponic cannabis (Ozikush), charas and LSD, were seized.'

He further informed, 'Five accused have been arrested in the case. They have been identified as Tushar Chetan Verma (21), Sumit Santosh Dedwal (25), Akshay Sukhlal Maher (25), Malay Rajesh Deliwala (28) and Swaraj Anant Bhosale (28). Police have also frozen Rs 7.80 lakh from the bank accounts of the arrested accused. All the accused have been remanded to police custody.'

Police said Verma was initially apprehended from the Khadki area based on specific inputs about narcotics sale.

During interrogation, it was revealed that his associates Dedwal and Maher had rented a flat in the Pimpri area, where hydroponic marijuana was being cultivated. Acting on this information, a police team raided the flat and seized hydroponic cannabis along with equipment used for its cultivation.

Further interrogation led police to the main trafficker, Malay Deliwala, who was arrested along with Swaraj Bhosale from Mumbai. Subsequent raids were also conducted in Goa, where additional narcotics were recovered.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and senior officers from the city police and crime branch, the police added. (ANI)