MUMBAI: A senior Inspector with the city police’s Anti-narcotics Cell was arrested on his last day in service for allegedly assisting Shashikala alias Baby Patankar in running her drug syndicate.
Suhas Gokhale had arranged a farewell party on Saturday on the occasion of his retirement from the force after a “clean” service of 30 years. His plan, however, went haywire as his juniors with the Crime Branch arrested him on the same day over his alleged role in facilitating the narcotics trade.
Four fellow police officers -- Inspector Gautam Gaikwad, Sub-Inspector Sudhakar Sarang, Assistant Sub-Inspector Jyotiram Mane and Head Constable Yashwant Parate -- too were arrested with Gokhale.
They were produced before the Esplanade Court, which remanded them in police custody till June 4. All the officers were charged with dereliction of duty.
Express was the first to report on Shashikala’s drug den after her nephew, city-based lawyer Manish Majhgaonkar, approached the police giving them details on her activities.
This is a major action after Head Constable Dharmaraj Kalokhe was arrested for possessing 112 kg of banned narcotic Mephedrone, popularly known as Meow Meow, in March. Kalokhe, an alleged partner of Shashikala, used to help the kingpin in procuring narcotics.
Gokhale’s arrest has sent shockwaves through the police force. Interestingly, Gokhale was the complainant in Kalokhe’s case. The Crime Branch officers said the five were nabbed on the basis of their call data records (CDR). They were in constant touch with Shashikala and Kalokhe.
City Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria had earlier claimed that some senior police officers were involved in the trade of narcotics.
A source in the Crime Branch said a DCP was also on the radar.