Police Arrest Three, Including Nigerian National, in L3 Bar Pune Drug Case; Cocaine and Mephedrone Seized

29 June 2024

In a major breakthrough in the L3 bar drug case, police have arrested three individuals, including a Nigerian national, for allegedly supplying drugs. The police recovered cocaine and mephedrone from their possession, and the court has remanded the suspects to police custody until July 2.

The accused have been identified as Abhishek Amol Sonawane (23, Residing at Diesel Colony, Railway Quarters, Pune Station), Omkar Ashok Sakat (28, Residing at Mahatma Phule Peth), and Idoko Stavely Sunday (Nigerian national). They have been charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Maharashtra Prohibition Act, Maharashtra Police Act, and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act.

A video of a party at L3 bar, which continued until 5 am and featured drug use, was circulated on social media, prompting swift action from the police and administration. Following the video, Nitin Nathuram Thombare and Karan Rajendra Mishra, seen in the footage, were arrested. Their interrogation led to the arrest of another accused, Abhishek, from the Kamgar Putala area in Shivaji Nagar. One gram of gold was seized from him. Abhishek disclosed that Omkar and Idoko had supplied the drugs, leading to their arrests.

According to the police, Omkar was found with 6-7 grams of mephedrone powder, while Idoko had 2.8 grams of cocaine. This information was provided by Senior Police Inspector and investigating officer Chandrashekhar Sawant and Assistant Public Prosecutor Shridhar Javale in court. Defense counsel Advocate Amol Narwal represented the accused, who have been remanded to police custody until July 2.