Crime branch not to probe death threat to Swedish model

PANAJI - Citing ‘jurisdictional issues’, the crime branch Monday said it cannot take any action vis-a-vis alleged death threats by an Israeli drug dealer to a Swedish model who exposed the police-drugs mafia nexus in Goa.

The crime branch, whose officials have been accused of sabotaging the high profile probe into the police-politician-narcotics mafia nexus, has also hinted that the Swedish police should look into the death threats, which were allegedly made when the victim, 33-year-old Lucky Farmhouse, was in Sweden.

Speaking to reporters, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Chandrakant Salgaonkar also said that it was for the local police to investigate the death threats to Lucky from her former boyfriend and dreaded drug dealer Yaniv Benail alias Atala.

“All I can say is that there are jurisdictional issues. We have to see where she was when the threats were made to her by phone. We should also see where the phone calls came from,” Salgaonkar said.

“The local police station will have to look into the death threats. If she was in Sweden, when the call was made then maybe the Swedish police should be told to probe,” Salgaonkar said.

Lucky’s spycam videos of Atala, boasting of his links to the police and politicians, had helped bust one of the biggest police-narcotics mafia nexus in Goa. Seven police officials, including a police inspector and a sub inspector, have been arrested in this connection over the last two months.

Lucky has also claimed that she is in possession of spycam videotapes that establish the links of an influential politician’s son to the narcotics mafia in Goa.

Fresh recordings surfaced Sunday revealing that Atala had threatened to kill Lucky using senior police officials.

“Today the chief called me… chief tell me you are finished for life… you understand?… now you need to think about this little bit, you bitch,” Atala reportedly said while threatening Lucky telephonically after she uploaded his videos on www.youtube.com.

The ‘chief’, referred to by Atala, is in all likelihood a former in-charge of the anti-narcotics cell (ANC), who has already been arrested for his links with the drugs mafia.