‘Meow Meow’ drug case: Suspended cop accused of aiding peddler gets bail

While pleading for bail, Goklahe’s lawyer had claimed that the arrest had been “pre-planned”. Advocate Ayaz Khan told the court that a negative chemical analysis report of the seized samples purported to be the contraband mephedrone was actually already filed in court before Gokhale was arrested.

The NDPS court also granted bail to Paulraj Duraiswami Padiachi alias Paul, the alleged source of the mephedrone obtained by Manikan Samuel, who then sold the same to Patankar. Padiachi, a Mumbai-based drug peddler and a native of Trichy in Tamil Nadu, was granted bail on the grounds that his case was based on the statement of the co-accused only.

The special judge also observed that there was no “legally sustainable evidence” against the duo. Gokhale, along with four other policemen, was arrested on May 29 in connection with the alleged nexus between prime accused and suspended constable Dharmaraj Kalokhe, who was arrested in March after 114 kg of mephedrone was allegedly found in his house in Lonavala.

The Mumbai police crime branch have charged Gokhale, Police Inspector Gautam Gaikwad, Sub Inspector Sudhakar Sarang, Assistant Sub-Inspector Jyotiram Mane and head constable Yeshwant Parate (all suspended) with connivance, financing illicit traffic, harbouring offenders, abetment and criminal conspiracy under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The Maharashtra Police Act has also been invoked against them for dereliction of duty.

The prosecution claimed that according to call data records, Patankar had contacted Gokhale through a mobile number but the inspector had not informed his superiors of Patankar’s whereabouts immediately. Judge Hejib, however, observed that there was no record of the conversation between him and Patankar. Citing a Bombay High Court judgment, the judge said that unless there is proof of the conversation, it cannot be legal evidence of conspiracy between the  two accused.

Meanwhile, the police on Wednesday filed a chemical analysis report in court stating that some other samples seized from Kalokhe’s locker in Marine Drive police station at the same time as the purported mephedrone was cannabis.

meghna.yelluru@expressindia.com