Police officials said Jadhav, a Maharashtra resident with 5.68 million YouTube subscribers and over 317,000 Instagram followers, used his public image as a wildlife rescuer—known for posting snake rescue videos—to conceal his involvement in drug trafficking. Investigators allege he coordinated the transportation of cannabis from Odisha to Maharashtra using multiple routes and vehicles, including private cars and ambulances.
According to the police, Jadhav had been absconding for the past six months in connection with a narcotics case registered in Pune. His role came under scrutiny after police intercepted an ambulance carrying a large consignment of cannabis earlier this month, which was traced back to him. A Fortuner SUV linked to Jadhav and assets worth around ₹1.5 lakh were seized during the operation.
The largest single recovery was made in the Komakhan police station area, where officers seized 950 kg of cannabis valued at approximately ₹4.75 crore. In that case, transporters from Jalna district in Maharashtra and the alleged logistics handler Pradeep Musadwale were arrested. In another major haul, police recovered 520 kg of cannabis worth about ₹2.60 crore and arrested members of the Sonawane family from Pune, along with an Odisha-based supplier.
Additional seizures included 50 kg of cannabis intercepted near the inter-state border by Singhoda police, leading to the arrest of transporters and buyers from Uttar Pradesh. Separate operations resulted in the recovery of smaller consignments, narcotic syrups, and the identification of forward and backward supply links extending from Odisha’s Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts to Durg, Raipur and Nagpur.
Mahasamund Superintendent of Police Prabhat Kumar said the network was dismantled using technical evidence, including mobile data analysis, location tracking, call detail records and digital transaction trails. “This was a well-organized inter-state operation. Continuous monitoring and coordinated enforcement helped us break the supply chain at multiple levels,” he said.
Police said further investigations are underway to identify additional financiers and distribution points linked to the network.
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