Meow meow drug case: Beer bottle found in Kalokhe’s locker, police under scanner

Kalokhe was posted with the Marine Drive police station as head constable till his arrest in May this year, after 114 kg of what was suspected to be mephedrone was found in his Lonavala residence and another 12 kg cache was found in his locker at the police station. The locker had been sealed after the first search. The substance from the locker was later confirmed to be mono sodium glutamate or ajinomoto by the Forensic Sciences laboratory in Kalina. Two cellphones, two pen drives, a memory card, a diary, a forged election card and a partially filled bottle of beer have been found in a second search of the locker this week.

Crime Branch officials said that they would inquire as to how something as conspicuous as a bottle of beer escaped the attention of the policemen who conducted the search, though items, including a 20-gram pouch of cannabis and foreign currency notes were seized.

“As far as Kalokhe’s involvement with criminal elements is concerned, his possession of two cellphones is a big discovery as it indicates conspiracy to hide contacts and gives rise to various possibilities. While this could have been overlooked, a bottle of beer in a locker at a police station should have been reported. We will find out whether there was a lapse on the part of any of the officers and it will be part of our investigation report,” said a senior Crime Branch officer.

This is not the first time that policemen have come under the scanner in this case. The Crime Branch has, so far, arrested five policemen for allegedly helping Kalokhe’s co-accused Shashikala alias Baby Patankar evade arrest and eight to 10 others are still under the scanner for their alleged association with Patankar.

Asked whether there would be a departmental inquiry into the failure to report the beer bottle, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti said, “We will wait for the Crime Branch’s investigation report and then decide our course of action.”

DCP Chavan’s statement to be recorded

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch will record the statement of Deputy Commissioner of Police Namdeo Chavan, Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC), on Saturday in connection with the allegations levelled against him by suspended senior police inspector Suhas Gokhale. Gokhale, who was also with the ANC, was arrested for allegedly helping Shashikala alias Baby Patankar evade arrest and had claimed that he had informed Chavan when Patankar approached him. “We will record Chavan’s statement and decide our course of action,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni.