Maha-based snake rescuer persona unravels in Rs 2.6 crore Mahasamund ganja haul probe

 

 

 

A carefully curated social-media image of wildlife conservation collapsed on Friday after Mahasamund police, under Operation Nischay, dismantled a Rs 2.6-crore ganja trafficking network allegedly fronted by a man projecting himself online as a snake rescuer and conservationist. The end-to-end operation led to the seizure of 520 kg of ganja and the arrest of nine accused spanning Odisha and Maharashtra, exposing a tightly run logistics chain masked by online influence and local distribution nodes. Investigators said the probe pivoted on Akash Jadhav of Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, who maintained a strong public presence under the moniker “Sarpmitra Akash Jadhav,” commanding millions of followers on YouTube and Instagram for snake rescue content. Behind the persona, police allege, Jadhav functioned as the principal transport coordinator and forward-link mediator for consignments moved from Odisha to Maharashtra. Preliminary scrutiny suggests the network executed at least six consignments over the past year, with Jadhav remaining absconding in a Pune case for nearly six months before his arrest.

 

Assets worth about Rs 1.5 crore linked to him have been identified. The case, registered in Mahasamund’s district Komakhan police station as Crime No. 03/2026 under Sections 20(b)(2)(C) and 29 of the NDPS Act along with relevant provisions of the BNS, began with intelligence inputs pointing to a bulk movement scheduled for Maharashtra. A coordinated interception and follow-through by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force and Mahasamund district police culminated in the seizure of 520 kg of ganja, valued at approximately Rs 2.6 crore. Police arrested the transporters Sagar Bagh of Jalna, Sanjeev Ahire of Ajintha-Sillod, Sushil Dabhade of Aurangabad and Aditya Pakhre of Ahilyanagar, alleging they ferried consignments using layered routes and decoys. The forward-link buyer Ramdas Chandu Sonawane of Khadakwasla, Pune, was taken into custody along with his sons Kunal Sonawane and Pratik Sonawane, who allegedly assisted distribution in the Pune belt.

 

Investigators said Ramdas Sonawane has a prior criminal record and were previously externed; assets worth about Rs 4 crore linked to him are being processed for attachment under Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976. (SAFEMA). The backward link led to the arrest of Ranjan Durga of Charbahal, Kalahandi, Odisha, accused of sourcing and supplying bulk quantities. Police said the operation benefited from close inter-state coordination, including assistance from Maharashtra’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force, enabling arrests across jurisdictions. All seized material was weighed, sealed and documented as per procedure, and the accused were produced before the competent court. Further investigation is underway to trace financial trails, identify additional handlers and distributors, and map residual assets connected to the network. Authorities appealed to the public to share credible information on narcotics activity, assuring confidentiality.