Drug party raided in Pune; ex-minister Khadses son-in-law among 7 held
Pranjal Khewalkar, the husband of former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse's daughter Rohini Khadse, was among those arrested, they said.
NCP (SP) leader Eknath Khadse said a probe should be conducted to find out if there was a political motive behind the police action.
Rohini Khadse is state president of the women's wing of the opposition NCP (SP).
The police's Crime Branch carried out the raid at the studio apartment located in the upscale Kharadi area of Maharashtra's Pune city based on a tip-off about a rave party, an official said.
The raid was conducted around 3.30 am on Sunday and a 'drug party" was busted at the studio apartment, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Nikhil Pingle said at a press conference here.
During the raid and subsequent search, police seized 2.7 grams of a cocaine-like substance, 70 gm of a ganja-like substance, a hookah pot, various hookah flavours, and liquor and beer bottles, he said.
'We have arrested seven individuals, identified as Pranjal Khewalkar, Nikhil Poptani, Sameer Sayyad, Shripad Yadav, Sachin Bhombe, Isha Singh and Prachi Sharma, under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act," he said.
All the accused were sent for medical examination and their reports are awaited, the official said.
Reacting to the raid, Eknath Khadse said it should be probed if there was a political motive behind the police action.
Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy leader Sushma Andhare said the raid is a message for those speaking against the government. PTI COR SPK VT GK
view comments
First Published:
July 27, 2025, 16:15 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Odisha: 8 people arrested for murder of man on suspicion of practising witchcraft
Eight people have been arrested in Odisha's Gajapati district on Thursday in connection with the murder of a man on suspicion that he practised sorcery. The Gajapati police said the suspects were arrested following a complaint filed by the deceased's sister-in-law (Getty Images/iStockphoto) The deceased, Karunakar Dalei, was from Kamalapur village in Jirang gram panchayat, but had been staying in Kusumpur village for the last eight months, where he made and sold herbal medicine. But after a villager's 12-year-old son died last month, rumours of Dalei practising witchcraft started doing the rounds. On July 28, some villagers took him from his house to an anganwadi centre where he was confined for three days and beaten mercilessly till he died. The suspects buried his body in the forest on a hillock about 4 km away from the village. Gajapati superintendent of police (SP) Jatindra Panda said the accused were arrested after a police complaint by the victim's sister-in-law at the police station. The body of the deceased was exhumed on Thursday in the presence of a magistrate. This is the fourth murder in connection with suspicions of witchcraft \in a week in Odisha. On Saturday, a 37-year-old man was tortured and murdered in Gajapati district. The mutilated body of Gopal Mallik was found near a dam on Sunday, following which police arrested 14 villagers over their involvement in the murder. Last week, a 60-year-old man in Kalahandi was killed by two persons on suspicion of practising witchcraft while a 59-year-old man in Ganjam district was tortured by four persons, including a woma,n over suspicion of practising sorcery. The Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act, 2013 criminalises witch-branding and imposes strict penalties. However, the Act lacks provisions to tackle the deep-rooted social stigma and ostracisation faced by victims. Many victims and their families are forcefully driven out of villages, suffering long-term social and economic exclusion. Witchcraft-related deaths are more common in tribal-dominated districts such as Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Malkangiri, and Ganjam. According to National Crime Records Bureau reports, Odisha has seen at least 556 killings due to witchcraft between 2015 and 2024. Former Odisha DGP BK Sharma said that though the Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act was implemented to address witch-hunting in the state, it still lacks teeth to contain the widespread menace. 'The Act has only 11 sections and all of them have been covered in just two-and-a-half pages. The Act requires crucial amendments to effectively deal with such cases. As per the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act, 2015, government functionaries can be made liable too if they do not inform the police about the victims being branded as witches,' said Sharma, adding that in cases of branding of victims as witches or witch-hunting related murders, the entire village supports the accused persons.
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
UP govt clears proposals for 3 private varsities, UK scholarship scheme, municipal ad policy reform
Lucknow, The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Thursday approved a series of proposals spanning higher education, international scholarships and urban governance reforms, paving the way for new private universities, a Chevening-style UK collaboration, and long-term municipal advertisement regulation. UP govt clears proposals for 3 private varsities, UK scholarship scheme, municipal ad policy reform The decisions of the Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, were announced by Finance Minister Suresh Khanna along with his cabinet colleagues Rakesh Sachan and Yogendra Upadhyay during a press conference here. According to the decisions, the Cabinet granted an intent letter to Lala Fateh Chand Charitable Trust, Muzaffarnagar, for the establishment of Vedanta University in Muzaffarnagar under the Uttar Pradesh Private Universities Act, 2019. The proposed university will be set up on 23.3349 acres of land in village Hussainpur Bopada, tehsil Khatauli, within the Muzaffarnagar Development Authority limits. The high-level committee, headed by the chief secretary, had recommended the issuance of the letter of intent in its meeting held on December 19, 2024. In a similar move, the Cabinet also cleared the establishment of KD University in Mathura under the same private universities framework. The approval was based on provisions under the Uttar Pradesh Private Universities Act, 2019, which regulates and facilitates the establishment and incorporation of private universities across the state. The Cabinet further approved the setting up of Bodhisattva University in Barabanki. The sponsoring body, Bodhisattva Charitable Trust, Lucknow, has earmarked 25.31 acres of land in Gadia village, pargana Deva, tehsil Nawabganj of Barabanki district. A letter of intent had earlier been issued to the trust on February 9, 2024. The Cabinet has now cleared the promulgation of the "Uttar Pradesh Private Universities Ordinance, 2025" to officially include the new university under the Act and issue it the operational licence. In a landmark collaboration, the Cabinet gave its approval for launching the "Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee-Chevening Uttar Pradesh Government Scholarship Scheme," in partnership with the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office . The scheme aims to sponsor five meritorious students from Uttar Pradesh each year to pursue a one-year master's degree in the UK at recognised institutions. It will cover tuition, examination and research fees, a living allowance, and one return economy-class airfare. The program will run from academic year 2025-26 through 2027-28. For each selected student, the state government will bear approximately 19,800 pounds , while the remaining scholarship amount - ranging between 38,048 pounds and 42,076 pounds per student - will be provided by the FCDO. In another major decision, the Cabinet approved an amendment to Section 305 of the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1959, related to permissions and renewal durations for aerial signage and advertisements. The amendment proposes increasing the validity period for advertising licenses from two years to 15 years. The new rule, to be implemented through the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Rules, 2025, is expected to attract larger investments and innovations in the urban advertising sector. It will also reduce the frequency of tender processes and offer greater revenue stability for municipal corporations across the state. Following Cabinet approval, the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Ordinance, 2025, will be promulgated to formalize this change. The Cabinet also approved a proposal to reintroduce a bill in the upcoming session of the State Legislature to amend the King George's Medical University , Uttar Pradesh Act, 2002. The amendment seeks to insert Section 24, providing for the nomination of one senior-most professor each from the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes and from the Other Backward Classes to the university's executive council. The nominations will be made by the state government on a rotational basis in consultation with the Vice-Chancellor. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
ED's conviction rate in PMLA cases over 92% in last 5 years: Official data
The conviction rate secured by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in money laundering cases over the last five years has been more than 92 per cent, an official data said. According to the data accessed by PTI, various special Prevention of Money Laundering Act ( PMLA ) courts delivered judgments in 41 cases registered under the said law between January 2020 and July 2025, out of which conviction orders were passed in 38 instances leading to the conviction of 98 accused. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program The conviction rate is calculated by using the formula of taking the total number of cases in which the accused have been convicted as a percentage of total cases decided on merits on the issue of money laundering, according to officials and the data. Hence, the conviction rate secured by the ED in money laundering cases over the last five years comes to 92.68 per cent (38/41X100) in about five years, they said. The ED has been regularly targeted by political parties in the opposition, claiming its actions were biased and that its conviction rate was "poor". Live Events A report prepared by the agency for the 2024-25 financial year said while the legal framework under the PMLA provides for a "structured mechanism" for prosecution, the timely completion of trials continued to face several "systemic" and "procedural" hurdles. The report released in May said a "primary challenge" in this context was that prosecution of money laundering cases was "intrinsically" linked to the progress of the investigation or trial of the corresponding predicate or primary offence. "Delays in those proceedings invariably impact the PMLA trial," the report said. According to the PMLA scheme, which came into force in 2005, the ED cannot register an independent case but has to base its complaint on a primary FIR of the police or any other investigating agency, which is called the predicate offence . The data also said the ED registered just over 5,063 money laundering cases over the same period (January 2020-July 2025) and the courts ordered confiscation of assets worth Rs 55.14 crore in the context of conviction cases. The courts also ordered confiscation of assets to the tune of Rs 15,558.21 crore under section 8(7) of PMLA (cases where trial cannot be conducted) during the same period.
