A day after the crime branch arrested five policemen of the Mumbai police, startling details are emerging.
It has found out that the five were the kingpins in the police-drug mafia nexus. They helped notorious drug queen Shashikala alias Baby Patankar escape law after her name cropped up in the multi-crore rupee Mephedrone or ‘meow- meow’ drug bust.
The five – senior inspector Suhas Gokhale (Anti Narcotics Cell), suspended inspector Gautam Gaikwad, sub-inspector Sudhakar Sarang, assistant sub inspector Jyotiram Mane and head constable Yeshwant Parate – were arrested and produced before the special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances court on Saturday. They were remanded to police custody till June 4.
According to the crime branch, there are reasons to believe that five operated the drug racket in the city by using Patankar as a front since she has been in the business for a long time.
“We believe more policemen will be involved in the racket. We are probing their involvement,” said additional commissioner (crime) K M M Prasanna.
Here are the roles played by the five policemen in the racket.
Suhash Gokhale (57) senior inspector
Gokhale, who has built an image of being an upright and honest officer, is believed to have been in touch with Patankar for a few years. According to crime branch officials, when arrested constable Dharamraj Kaloke spilled Patankar’s name in the meow-meow racket, she approached Gokhale. He advised her to go into hiding and switch off her mobile phone. “Despite knowing that Patankar was wanted in the case, Gokhale, as a senior officer, did not arrest her nor inform senior officers. This clearly shows his involvement in the drug syndicate,” said a senior officer. “Even though Patankar informed Gokhale that Kalokhe was in possession of more than 100 kg of meow-meow, he did not act,” he added.
Gautam Gaikwad (58), suspended inspector
Gaikwad, too, is believed to have helped Patankar in the drug business. Crime branch investigations have brought to light that Gaikwad has visited Patankar’s residence many times, fully aware that she was a drug peddler. Gaikwad, it is believed, was one of the officers who tipped off Pune customs about Kalokhe. “We have come to know that Gaikwad, on March 10, 2015, had visited Patankar’s residence. At that time, she was wanted in the case. Gaikwad, along with other officers, wanted to remove Kalokhe from the drug syndicate to get the entire grip on the peddling business,” he said.
Sudhakar Sarang (47), sub inspector
Sarang, attached with the Azad Maidan unit of the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC), was very well aware of the location and phone number of Patankar. It was Sarang who allegedly advised Patankar about what should be her next move and how to avoid arrest.
Jyotiram Mane (55), assistant inspector
According to the crime branch, Mane allegedly came into contact with Patankar when he was a constable at the Worli station. Mane allegedly agreed to keep Patankar’s drugs safe in return for money. “Their relations soured after Kalokhe came into contact with Patankar, who fell in love with him. She later made the same offer to Kalokhe and sidelined Mane,” said an officer. “Mane had been wanting to replace Kalokhe and take over his role in the drug business,” he said.
Yeshwant Parte (52), constable
Parte was the man who was regularly visiting Patankar. He has also been allegedly involved in Patankar’s drug syndicate for a very long time. “We have figured out that Parte has made around 70-80 visits to Patankar’s residence. He would take drugs from Patankar and later pass them on to one of his relatives to be sold in the market,” said a crime branch officer.
The entire drug syndicate was busted after the Satara police arrested head constable Dharamraj Kalokhe, attached with the Marine Drive station. Kalokhe was arrested from his village in Khandala taluka in Satara for possessing 110kg of Mephedrone. Subsequently, the Mumbai police searched his locker in the Marine Drive station and recovered more than 12 kg of drugs.
During the course of the investigation, Patankar’s name cropped up. The Mumbai police, after a month’s hunt, finally arrested Patankar in April when she was trying to sneak into the city. The arrest of Patankar thew light on the involvement of policemen in the drug cartel.
