Celeb coacaine ring’s first casualty: a cop

Another sub-inspector, Shantilal Jadhav, was being interrogated and could be arrested on Sunday, said a police source.

Investigators said the officers were paid off by Vishal Maghnani (32), arrested former manager of the apparel brand and nightclub of the same name, Provogue.

The drug ring appeared to stretch across India and supplied narcotics to affluent, high-profile customers at a variety of Mumbai hotels and nightspots, a highly placed police source said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Shashikant Shinde would not comment on the names of celebrities revealed by Maghnani, except to confirm the web of investigations would be cast wide.

‘‘Very shortly we will know who is involved…many more names will come up,’’ Shinde said. ‘‘Inquiries and investigation are on, there are certain developments, and we will take action as and when needed.’’

Salil Chaturvedi, Provogue’s managing director and a regular at Bollywood parties, could not be reached today after being questioned by the police on Thursday.

The route for the drugs, said the police source, ran from J-K—the source of narcotics—to upper-class users in Mumbai and Chennai. It was obviously well-organised when the police stumbled on it on January 26 after intercepting a shipment marked for the Provogue office in Chennai, sources said.

Sub-inspectors Sanjay Shinde and Shantilal Jadhav allegedly asked for Rs 10 lakh from Maghnani when he contacted Jadhav, working with the office of then Joint Commissioner of Police (administration) P K Jain.

Jadhav, Shinde—and another officer, whose involvement has not yet been acknowledged by the police—were to share the bribe, of which Rs 2.65 lakh was allegedly paid. DCP Shinde confirmed the officers were being probed.

‘‘Progress is definitely there, inquiries have already started,’’ said DCP Shinde. ‘‘The matter isn’t just about the police, it’s a bigger case.’’ Two of the officers had access to the packet of cocaine seized after Maghnani’s assistant, Allwyn Sequiera, tried sending it by courier from the domestic airport, police sources said.

The two officers then replaced the cocaine—10 gm with a street value of about Rs 30,000—with boric powder, said a source. When a forensic examination of the packet in Mumbai revealed boric powder, Senior Inspector Madhukar Gathade informed Additional Commissioner of Police (western region) Parambir Singh, who had the powder sent to the Hyderabad lab. The forensic examination in Hyderabad revealed traces of cocaine in the packet, the source said.

Maghnani was arrested on June 24 after absconding for three months when his bail plea was rejected. During interrogation, he revealed the names of celebs who he alleged were narcotics customers.