Pune Police on Sunday arrested Pranjal Khewalkar, son-in-law of former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse, along with six others, including two women, after they busted an alleged drug-fuelled party at a studio flat in Kharadi.
The flat, located off the Pune-Ahmednagar highway, was allegedly being used for a party where cocaine, marijuana, hookah pots, and alcohol were found, The Times of India reported.
Khewalkar, a medical doctor (MD) by profession and husband of Rohini Khadse (who heads the NCP (Sharad Pawar)'s women’s wing in Maharashtra), was taken to Sassoon General Hospital along with the other six arrested individuals for medical tests.
🚨 Ex-Maharashtra Minister’s Son-in-Law Arrested in Pune Rave Party Raid➡️ Pune Police busted a high-profile rave party at a private villa
➡️ 7 people arrested, including son-in-law of ex-minister Babanrao Pachpute
➡️ Narcotics like MDMA, charas, and cocaine were seized
➡️… pic.twitter.com/FSBLnUxcEy— The Matrix (@thematrixloop) July 27, 2025
After the tests, police searched Khewalkar’s bungalow in Hadapsar as part of their investigation to find out where the drugs came from. During the search, they seized a laptop, three pen drives, and a hard disk, according to a police officer.
"Our crime branch team reached the flat following a tip-off and detained seven individuals, including Khewalkar, who were found partying there. The team seized cocaine (2.5g), marijuana (70g), hookah flavours and many liquor bottles,” Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar was quoted by TOI as saying.
The arrested individuals were produced before a magistrate, N S Bari, who sent them to police custody until Tuesday for further questioning.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Manoj Pingale confirmed that the recovered drugs, hookah pots, and flavours would be sent to a forensic lab for further examination. The others arrested have been identified as Nikhil Poptani (35), a cigarette trader from Hadapsar; Sameer Sayyed (41), a hardware businessman from NIBM Road; Shripad Yadav (27), a builder from Akurdi; Sachin Bhombe (42), resident of Wagholi; Isha Singh (22) from Aundh; and Prachi Sharma (23) from Mhalunge.
The police said that Khewalkar practices medicine in Jalgaon and stays in Hadapsar. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act as well as the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) at the Kharadi police station.
DCP Pingale also stated that Khewalkar had booked three suites in the apartment complex from Friday to Sunday and had paid for the bookings. Three more women were supposed to join the party but left the venue once the police raid began. The police believe that the accused know each other through a common party circle.
Sassoon Hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Yallapa Jadhav, said that all seven accused were brought to the hospital around 6.15 am on Sunday for alcohol and drug tests.
"Two had consumed alcohol according to the primary examination by the CMO. Blood and urine samples were collected from all and sealed and handed over to the police,” Dr Jadhav was quoted by TOI as saying.
According to the TOI report, the apartment consisted of two buildings with a total of 34 suites. Room rates range from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,500 per night, and include breakfast and dinner. Guests are required to submit photocopies of ID cards at check-in.
In court, public prosecutor Priyanka Vengurlekar argued that police needed seven days of custody to trace the drug supply chain and investigate if the accused had links to any drug network or interstate syndicate. She added that two of the arrested individuals were repeat offenders with previous criminal records.
However, Khewalkar’s lawyer, Vijaysingh Thombare, claimed the arrest was politically driven. He alleged that earlier attempts had been made by plainclothes police officers to trap his client, and said CCTV footage from those incidents proved it.
The court, while granting police custody till Tuesday, said complaints about illegal arrest would be reviewed in future hearings.
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