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The prosecution in the Mephedrone seizure case, being probed by Pimpri-Chinchwad police, on Thursday submitted an application before a special court seeking investigation of the concerned authorities and medical officers from the Sassoon General hospital and Yerwada Central Prison in connection with the escape of drug racketeer Lalit Anil Patil.
Patil (34) is among the 22 accused persons arrested by the Pimpri Chinchwad police, following the seizure of 20kg of mephedrone worth Rs 20 crore from Chakan in October 2020.
On the evening of October 2, Patil fled the Sassoon hospital, where he was admitted for treatment on hernia for the last four months.
Shishir Hiray, special public prosecutor in the Chakan case, filed an application before the special court in Khed in Pune district ‘seeking entire jail record, medical record, attendance record, hospital admissions card of Lalit Patil’ from Superintendent and medical officer of Yerwada Central Jail, medical officers and other concerned authorities of Sasoon hospital.
Hiray prayed that concerned authorities and persons be investigated, issued summons and testified for the purpose of evidence and fair determination of the case.
Hiray argued that Patil’s hospitalisation record, including duration of his stay at Sassoon hospital, jail hospital and in prison be called in the interest of justice. “The next hearing of the case will take place on October 9,” he said.
According to Hiray, Patil was a key accused in the Chakan drug racket case and since his arrest, he reported medical problems from time to time and spent about 16 months in hospital, which is highly suspicious.
Probe into the Chakan case revealed that Mephedrone worth about Rs 132 crore was manufactured at the premises of a biotech company in Ranjangaon.
Police said Patil not only procured drugs from racketeers in the past, but also received huge sums of money from some of the arrested accused in the Chakan case to arrange lawyers for them, and to try and strike deals with officials.
Patil was currently being investigated by the Pune city police for allegedly running a drug racket from the prison ward of Sassoon Hospital with the help of two iPhones.
Pune police had arrested his aide Subhash Janaki Mandal (29) on September 30 from a spot near Sassoon Hospital with over 1.71-kg mephedrone, estimated to cost around Rs 2.14 crore.
Probe revealed that Patil, who was under treatment at ward number 16 of the Sassoon hospital, allegedly supplied the contraband to Mandal through Rauf Rahim Shaikh (19), who worked as a waiter at the hospital canteen.
Police then seized two iPhones, each worth Rs 1.1 lakh, allegedly from Patil during a search at the hospital ward. An FIR was lodged against Patil, Mandal and Shaikh at Bundgarden police station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
A probe is on to know whether any ‘insiders’ in the hospital, police and prison department have a nexus with Patil.
Sources at the Sassoon Hospital sources said with a past medical history of tuberculosis, Patil was also being treated for ventral hernia and was obese, and he was posted for surgery this week.
But, Patil ‘escaped’ when he was taken for an X-ray, raising serious questions about the security arrangements at the hospital. Nine police personnel have been suspended for dereliction of duty at the hospital. Another FIR was lodged against Patil for escaping custody. The police are still on the lookout for Patil and have found a few CCTV footage around the Sassoon hospital showing Patil’s movements.
