Nigerian among 3 held as probe expands in drug consumption at FC road pub

Pune city police and the state excise department initiated legal action after videos of alleged drug use at the Liquid Leisure Lounge pub and the establishment operating much after its deadline to shut were circulated on social media.

On Monday, as many as 14 people linked to the case were arrested — eight by the Pune city police and six more by the excise department — on charges of alleged illegal operations, including organising an illegal party at the pub, which was attended by dozens of people. The police had also collected samples from some spots in the pub to identify the drugs consumed on the premises.

A first information report (FIR) was lodged at the Shivajinagar police station under sections of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) and Maharashtra Liquor Prohibition Act.

Then, on Tuesday, the police arrested Nitin Nathuram Thombre (34), an architect from Mumbai and his friend Karan Rajendra Mishra (34) an IT professional from Pune, who were allegedly visible in a video using drugs in the washroom of the Liquid Leisure Lounge.

Police confirmed the drug they were seen using in the video was mephedrone. During searches, cops recovered cocaine from Thombre’s house. So on Wednesday, police invoked the NDPS (Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act in the case. A court had remanded the duo to police custody till June 29.

Further investigations revealed that Abhishek Sonawane allegedly provided Mishra Mephedrone during a party at the Liquid Leisure Lounge in the wee hours of June 23. Police arrested Sonawane on Friday early morning in possession of one gram of cocaine. Soon, cops arrested Sakat and Idoko for allegedly supplying cocaine to Sonawane.

While 6.7 grams of Mephedrone was seized from Omkar, 2.6 grams of cocaine was recovered from Idoko, police said.

Senior police inspector Chandrashekhar Sawant produced the three accused persons before additional chief judicial magistrate A U Supekar on Friday afternoon.

Assistant public prosecutor Shridhar Jawale sought their police custody for seven days for further investigation.

Police said a probe is on to determine where the accused persons had procured the drugs seized from them.

Police said Idoko claimed to have misplaced his passport in 2019. He told the court he came to India for “business”.

The Police suspect he was currently residing illegally in India. Police are probing his links with a larger drug cartel and that he kept shifting his locations. Checks were being conducted to find out of he had been booked in any other offences.

Police were probing financial transactions of the accused persons and how they used social media and the telephone to communicate with drug peddlers and customers. Police told the court that a probe was also underway to determine whether the accused persons supplied drugs to hotels or pubs. The court remanded the accused to police custody till July 2.

Meanwhile, the pub was sealed by the state excise department on Sunday for violating various rules and norms related to serving liquor.