Anti-narcotics officer on payroll of Israeli drug dealers

PANAJI - A former chief of the Goa Police’s anti-narcotics cell was on the pay-roll of two leading Israeli drug dealers, officials said Wednesday.

While opposing the bail application of senior police inspector Ashish Shirodkar, who was arrested for his links to Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benaim alias Atala, the crime branch has said that Shirodkar was also on the pay-roll of another Israeli drug dealer David Driham alias Dudu.

“It has also come on records that the arrested David Driham alias Dudu had disclosed during his interrogation the name of the petitioner/accused that he was on his pay-roll in order to encourage his drug activities and also as protection money,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Salgaonkar said in his statement to the court, while opposing the bail application.

Both Dudu and Atala have been arrested and are in judicial lock-up.

The officer also said that the police department had already started preparing a list of movable and immovable assets of the police inspector and was in the process of accounting for the salary and other remuneration received by the petitioner from the time he joined the department.

“A letter has been sent to the state registrar, Panaji, village panchayat to inform (about) the properties registered in the name of the petitioner and the information in respect of the same is awaited,” the written statement says.

“The process of getting information on close relatives of the petitioner with respect to moveable and immovable assets is in progress,” Salgaonkar said.

Seven policemen, including two senior police officers, were arrested for their links to the drugs mafia in Goa in the past two months, with reports suggesting that a senior cabinet minister’s son was linked to the powerful drug mafia.