Pune police arrested a 22-year-old woman after raiding a cosmetic jewellery shop in Viman Nagar and allegedly finding e-cigarettes, prohibited hookah flavours and 130 grams of ganja, along with other material valued at Rs 2.17 lakh, according to a report by Pudhari.
The raid was conducted on November 3 at Cloud Cartel, Shop No. 9, within the jurisdiction of the Airport police station. Police identified the arrested woman as Abhilasha Pankaj Ahirrao, a Viman Nagar resident. The seized material included e-cigarettes, prohibited hookah flavours, ganja and related items found inside the shop and in the storage compartment of a motorcycle parked outside.
The action followed information received by police personnel Hariprasad Punde and Lalu Karhe about the alleged illegal sale of e-cigarettes and hookah flavours in the Airport police station area. Police then carried out the search at the Viman Nagar establishment and seized the material, the report said.
According to the police, the woman allegedly accepted orders through a mobile phone and sold the prohibited products. Police also said the operation was aimed at customers from nearby IT companies, large colleges and the wider youth population in Viman Nagar. The report did not provide details of the number of customers, the duration of the alleged activity or the source of the seized products.
Police further stated that Ahirrao had earlier closed a shop in the Deccan area of Viman Nagar and subsequently opened Cloud Cartel as a cosmetic jewellery outlet. The current shop was allegedly being used as a front for the sale of prohibited products, according to the police account cited in the report.
A case has been registered at the Airport police station under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019, and relevant sections of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003. The action was carried out under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil. The police investigation will determine the full extent of the alleged supply and sales network.
