4 min readPuneDec 5, 2023 04:25 AM IST
First published on: Dec 4, 2023 at 09:44 PM IST
Pune city police have now arrested Dr Sanjay Kashinath Marsale, chief medical officer (CMO) of the Yerawada Central Prison, for allegedly helping drug racketeer Lalit Anil Patil (34) to escape from custody while he was admitted to the Sassoon Hospital for treatment.
A police team headed by senior police inspector Nandakumar Bidwai of the crime branch arrested Marsale Monday afternoon. Last week, the police had arrested Yerawada prison counsellor Sudhakar Sakharam Ingle (44) and prison guard Mois Ahmed Shaikh (30) for their alleged role in the Lalit Patil escape case.
The police produced Marsale before a magistrate court in Pune and sought his custody for four days to probe his role in the Lalit Patil escape case. The police told the court that Marsale was allegedly a part of the conspiracy hatched for letting Patil escape from custody. The police also alleged that Marsale played a role in facilitating Lalit’s admission to the Sassoon hospital so that the drug racketeer could escape conveniently.
The police told the court that Marsale made phone call conversations with Patil’s brother Bhushan Patil, his aide Abhishek Balkawade and Ingle, all of whom are accused in the Lalit Patil escape case.
Assistant public prosecutor Vaishali Reddy submitted that while on duty as medical officer at the Yerawada, Marsale held meetings with Balkawade and Patil. Reddy stated that Marsale allegedly made calls over phone and WhatsApp to Balkawade.
Defence lawyer Shaikh Ibrahim argued that Marsale has no role in the offence. Ibrahim added that nowhere in the investigation of Patil, Balkawade and Ingle had revealed that they had any phone call or WhatsApp conversation with Markale.
Judicial Magistrate (First Class) A C Birajdar remanded Marsale to police custody till December 7 for further investigation.
It may be recalled that Patil was lodged in the Yerawada Prison following his arrest by the Pimpri Chinchwad police in connection with the seizure of 20 kg of mephedrone worth Rs 20 crore from Chakan in October 2020. But he often managed to get himself admitted to Sassoon Hospital for treatment.
This year on September 30, the police arrested Lalit’s aide Subhash Mandal from a spot near the Sassoon Hospital with over 1.71 kg of mephedrone worth Rs 2.14 crore.
The probe revealed that the banned drug was supplied by Lalit, who was then admitted to ward number 16 of the Sassoon Hospital for treatment of ‘hernia’. The police found Lalit was allegedly running a drug racket with the help of two iPhones, which were seized from the hospital ward.
While a probe in the mephedrone seizure case was on, Lalit fled the Sassoon Hospital on October 2. A separate case was registered against him for escaping custody under relevant sections of the IPC.
Marsale is the fourteenth arrest in this case. The police first arrested Dattatraya Doke, a car driver, who allegedly facilitated Lalit’s escape in a car after the racketeer fled from the hospital.
The police said Doke worked for Vinay Aranha (50), a partner in Pune’s Rosary Education Group. Aranha was already in custody in a financial fraud case and a probe revealed he was admitted for some days along with Lalit at the Sassoon Hospital ward.
The police arrested Aranha to probe his role in Lalit’s escape. The police also arrested Lalit’s close friend and lawyer Pradnya Kamble, Archana Nikam for allegedly giving Rs 25 lakh to Lalit in Nashik after his escape.
The police alleged that Kamble, Nikam and the other accused lodged in prison had “conspired” Lalit’s escape about “two to three months” back. Other arrested accused include two police officers Natharam Kale and Amit Jadhav and a Sasson Hospital staffer identified as Mahendra Shevate.
After Lalit’s escape, the Mumbai police team probing another drug racket case had arrested Lalit along with his driver Wagh on October 17. Lalit was initially arrested by the Pune police on October 31 for probing the Mephedrone seizure case. On November 29, the police arrested Lalit again along with Wagh and is being investigated for escaping custody.
Patil was lodged in the Yerawada Prison following his arrest by the Pimpri Chinchwad police in connection with the seizure of 20 kg of mephedrone worth Rs 20 crore from Chakan in October 2020. (Express file photo) 
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