Pune: The Pune Police on Friday arrested three persons, including a Nigerian national, in Liquid Leisure Lounge (L3) bar drug party case. They had supplied mephedrone (MD) to some youths, who participated in the drug party on Fergusson College Road on last Sunday (June 23).

The police recovered narcotics such as MD, cocaine, from the Nigerian national. They were produced before a court, which sent them to police custody till July 2.

The arrested accused have been identified as Abhishek Amol Sonawane (23), a resident of Railway Quarters, Pune Station, Omkar Ashok Sakat (28), a resident of Mahatma Phule Peth, and Idoke Stavly Sunde, the Nigerian national. 

They have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, 2019, and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

The drug party was going on till 5 am on Sunday at Liquid Leisure Lounge (L3) bar. A video clip of youths consuming drugs in the washroom of the bar went viral on social media. The police and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) took action against the hotel, in which the bar is located. 

Later, the two youths in the clip, Nitin Nathuram Thombre and Karan Rajendra Mishra, were arrested. One of them was traced in Mumbai. During their interrogation, the name of the drug supplier was revealed. Then the police arrested Abhishek Sonawane from the Kamgar Putla area in Shivajinagar. They seized valuables from his possession. He told the police that Omkar Sonawane and Idoke had given him the drugs. Then the two other accused were held. The police frisked Sonawane and Idoke and found 7-gm mephedrone powder and 2.8-gm cocaine, respectively, from their possession. 

This was revealed by Chandrashekhar Sawant, Senior Police Inspector and Investigation Officer, and Assistant Public Prosecutor Shridhar Jawale in the court. Defence lawyer Amol Naral argued on behalf of the accused. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate AU Supekar remanded them to police custody till July 2.