Pune sex racketeer Kalyani Deshpande arrested for ganja smuggling
Pune: The Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch on Monday arrested infamous sex racketeer Kalyani Deshpande from Andhra Pradesh pertaining to 20.7 kg ganja seizure from her garment store and a flat on Sus Road area on May 24.
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An anti-narcotics cell of the crime branch, led by senior inspector Santosh Patil, received a tip-off that Deshpande was in the Rajanagaram in the East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. "Assistant inspector Vikram Gaikwad reached there and took Deshpande into custody with the help of our local informer," Santosh Patil told TOI.
Patil said Deshpande has been handed over to the Bavdhan police for further investigations.
The police on May 24 arrested her's husband, niece, and niece's husband after they recovered 20.7 kg of ganja from the basement of her garment store 'Kalyani Collection' and her flat on Sus Road. "We arrested the three people, but Deshpande managed to escape from there," Patil said.
Patil said Deshpande has as many as eight cases against her, including a murder and running a prostitution racket, with the Pune city police.
Her name has cropped up in numerous cases of high-profile prostitution rackets in the last 15 years.
In 2022, however, Deshpande was convicted for seven years by a special court in Pune in a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for running a sex racket.
She subsequently appealed against the conviction before the Bombay High Court and secured bail pending appeal. In Jan 2024, the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police arrested Deshpande pertaining to a high-profile sex racket in Satara. "Currently, she is out on bail. For the last five months, she has started smuggling ganja. We busted her ganja racket before she could set it up," he said.
"People can contact on cellphone number 9422008804 and share information about the drugs smuggling," Patil said.
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