Plea for CBI probe into Goa’s cops-politician-drug nexus

PANAJI - The Bombay High Court bench in Goa will next week hear a public interest litigation (PIL) that has sought the Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the police-politician-drug nexus case.

Hours after the petition was filed, Goa Police Friday appointed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe links of an anti-narcotics officer to the drug mafia.

The petition filed by National Students Union of India (NSUI) president Sunil Kavathankar asked that the case, allegedly involving several top politicians and police officials, be handed over to the CBI instead of the Crime Branch, which was “doing a shoddy job of it”.

“There is doubt about the integrity of the police officers investigating the case as some of the prime accused in the case have been released,” Kavathankar, who heads the Congress’s students wing NSUI, has said in his petition.

A Swedish model and a former girlfriend of Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benail alias Atala has accused Home Minister Ravi Naik’s son Roy of being linked to the drug mafia. Naik, however, has denied the charges.

Both the opposition and Kavathankar have accused the key investigating officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Salgaonkar, of sabotaging the probes.

Kavathankar on Wednesday gave Chief Minister Digambar Kamat a 48-hour ultimatum to hand over the case to the CBI.

Seven police officers have already been arrested and later released on bail. The high court had also passed strictures against the Crime Branch for shoddy investigations into the nexus.

Superintendent of Police Atmaram Deshpande said that an SIT led by a police superintendent was formed Friday and would probe allegations made by the sister and girlfriend of Israeli drug dealer David Driham alias Dudu against police sub-inspector Sunil Guddler. The two women said Guddler used to sell drugs and had illegally arrested Dudu.