Goa drug peddler-police nexus: DIG to record Lucky's statement
Goa home department has recommended that a senior police officer should be sent to Sweden to take the statement of Lucky Farmhouse, a crucial witness in the police-drug dealers nexus in the state.
Goa home department has recommended that a senior police officer should be sent to Sweden to take the statement of Lucky Farmhouse, a crucial witness in the police-drug dealers nexus in the state.Lucky, a former girlfriend of Israeli drug peddler Yaniv Benaim alias Atala, had blown the lid off the nexus by uploading a video on internet featuring her boyfriend while he was talking about his connections with Goa police.She is in Sweden now and police have to get her deposition in the case.However, the officer investigating the case is of deputy superintendent rank and cannot go to the Sweden and get herdeposition.
Sources said DIG Ravindra Yadav has been selected by the police to visit Sweden and get statement of Lucky Farmhouse."It has been recommended that Yadav should take over the case, if he wants to visit Sweden. At present, an officer to the level of deputy superintendent of police has been probing it," a senior home department official stated.The case is currently being probed by DSP Chandrakant Salgaonkar. The home department has forwarded the file to thedirectorate of prosecution seeking permission to allow DIGvisit Sweden.Police, in past, had submitted to the high court that officer to the level of DIG or inspector general of police, will be investigating the nexus.But the case is yet to be transferred to higher level officer from Salgaonkar.Seven policemen were arrested after Farmhouse uploaded avideo on social networking websites - youtube and metacafe,which showed her former boyfriend Atala confessing about hislinks with the police.
Atala was arrested in March this year and subsequently got a bail in June.The drug peddler has apparently jumped the bail as he hasbeen missing. He was supposed to report to crime branch everyMonday.State home minister Ravi Naik has been at the receiving end with Opposition BJP and Congress' coalition partner NCP demanding CBI probe into the nexus.The recent state assembly had to be adjourned seven timesafter Opposition benches took to the well of the house demanding CBI inquiry.State chief minister Digamber Kamat has vehemently refused to let the case be transferred to CBI.