Additional SP Aniket Bharati addresses a gathering of officers at an ‘experience sharing’ session on the MPDA Act. (File photo)
The Additional Superintendent of Police, Malegaon, Aniket Bharati recently informed that over the past three years 38 cases under the stringent Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and 143 cases under the Arms Act, 1959 were registered at various police stations under his jurisdiction, reflecting the Nashik Rural Police’s unwavering resolve for a crime-free city and underscoring their policy of zero tolerance towards criminal activities and illegal businesses.
On November 27, a team led by Police Inspector Prashant Ahire of Ayesha Nagar Police Station, after receiving a tip-off, nabbed Shoaib Akhtar Siraj Ahmed from near a garden behind the Nayara Petrol Pump on the Old Agra Road. The cops, who had a secret information about a drug peddler’s arrival at the identified location, recovered 56.9 grams of MD powder worth Rs 2,27,600 from his possession after frisking him. A case with CR No. 99/2024 under Sections 22 (C) and 8 (C) of the NDPS Act, 1985 has been lodged.
Addl SP Bharati said the police force under the supervision of IPS Vikram Deshmane has been working relentlessly to launch massive crackdown on drug-related activities and illegal businesses to crush the social evils. “The number of NDPS cases registered at different police stations has seen an exponential rise. In 2022, only one case under the NDSP Act was filed while 13 cases were filed in 2023 and 20 cases were filed in 2024 at different police stations. The action on large scale reflects our officers’ resolve for a drugs-free city,” he said.
Besides, the numbers shared by Addl SP Bharati reveal that cases under the Arms Act, 1959 have also seen a dramatic surge between 2022-2024. In 2022, only two cases were filed under Section 3/25 of the Arms Act while 31 cases were filed under Section 4/25 in the same year. Similarly, 13 cases under 3/25 and 26 cases under 4/25 were filed in 2023, data shared by Addl SP Bharati reveal. In 2024, 20 cases under 3/25 and 51 cases under 4/25 were lodged at different police stations. A total of 143 cases under the Arms Act were filed between 2022-2024.
Apart from that, the police are investigating with every angle cases registered ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024. On November 1, a person lodged with the Pawarwadi Police Station an abduction case. After investigations, it has been revealed that the person who filed the case concocted the incident and played a hoax. The police were now preparing to take action against him, Bharati informed. “Similarly, our officers are looking at every angle like financial dealing, personal enmity or political rivalry into a recent firing incident in which shots were fired at a former corporator outside his residence,” he said.
