Ephedrine haul: ‘Mamta Kulkarni escaped to Dubai after Vicky Goswami was nabbed by DEA’, says Police
So far, police have arrested 14 people and named five persons as wanted accused in the case. The five include Kulkarni and Goswami. According to the police, Goswami was the mastermind of the racket. Kulkarni assisted him, they claimed.
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Film star Mamata Kulkarni. (Express Archive Photo)
FORMER Bollywood starlet Mamta Kulkarni, wanted by law enforcement agencies in India, may have escaped to Dubai soon after her husband and alleged druglord Vicky Goswami was nabbed by the US’s Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) from Kenya in February this year, said sources. Officials believe Kulkarni may have later fled Dubai as well.
The duo is wanted by Thane police in an alleged Rs 2,000-crore international Ephedrine supply racket. Ephedrine is a chemical used to manufacture narcotics. Recently, a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act court declared Kulkarni and Goswami proclaimed offenders and ordered to attach their properties.
DEA officers picked up Goswami and three others from a golf course in Kenya in February this year, as the quartet met to resolve a dispute. In January, sources said, Goswami had an argument with Ibrahim and Baktash Akasha, with who, he had dealings in the drug business. A Pakistani drug dealer named Ghulam Hussein was also present when the two parties allegedly killed one another’s bodyguards. The four of them later decided to meet to bury the hatchet.
“The DEA laid a trap to arrest Goswami from Kenya. Kulkarni was also present at the spot. But while the agency took Goswami and the other three into their custody, they did not apprehend Kulkarni,” said a Thane police officer. “After Goswami’s arrest, she fled to Dubai,” he said, adding investigators believe Kulkarni was no longer in Dubai and might have fled from the UAE.
A senior official told The Indian Express it was highly unlikely the DEA would let Indian agencies get Goswami’s custody in the near future. “Goswami is wanted by the Thane police. However, he is currently in the custody of the DEA and is charged with an offence that attracts a minimum punishment of 20 years. In this scenario, it looks highly unlikely he would be brought to book by Indian agencies,” the official said.
On their chances of getting Kulkarni, the official indicated it could be a long wait. “She has already been declared a proclaimed offender and Thane police will soon start the process of issuing a Red Corner Notice against her,” the official added.
Last year, the Thane crime branch had raided Solapur-based company Avon Lifesciences and seized around 18.5 tonnes of ephedrine worth Rs 2,000 crore in the international market. The police probe had revealed the seized substance was to be used to make methamphetamine, a party drug, and was being diverted to a Kenya-based drug cartel headed by Goswami.
So far, police have arrested 14 people and named five persons as wanted accused in the case. The five include Kulkarni and Goswami. According to the police, Goswami was the mastermind of the racket. Kulkarni assisted him, they claimed.
rashmi.rajput@expressindia.com
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