Seventh Goa cop arrested for drug links
By IANSFriday, May 14, 2010
PANAJI - Another Goa policeman was arrested Friday - the seventh so far - for links to the narcotics mafia. His arrest may lead to more police officials connected to the drug trade, a senior police official said.
Speaking to reporters at the police headquarters after the arrest of police constable Sanjay Parab, Superintendent of Police (CID) Atmaram Deshpande said: “His arrest would lead to new leads.”
Parab was absconding for nearly two months. Police had Thursday arrested Sub Inspector Punaji Gawas for selling seized drugs, stored in the anti narcotics cell godown, to the narcotics mafia, who pumped it back into the market.
Incidentally, all the seven arrested policemen were formerly attached to Goa police’s anti narcotics unit, which is ironically responsible for curbing narcotics related crime.
Links of police officials with the narcotics mafia were exposed after a Swedish model and a former girlfriend of an Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benaim alias Atala posted spycam videos of the latter boasting of his links to policemen and politicians.
While Atala himself and seven policemen have been arrested for narcotics-related crimes, the Swedish model Lucky Farmhouse has now claimed that she has video footage of a leading politician’s son cracking deals with drug dealers in Goa’s coastal belt, which is a narco-tourism hub.
