Five Mumbai policemen arrested in Baby Patankar drug case

The Crime Branch of Mumbai police on Friday arrested five police personnel in connection with the drug seizure case involving former head constable Dharmaraj Kalokhe and Shashikala alias Baby Patankar.

Crime branch arrested senior police inspector Suhas Gokhale, inspector Gautam Gaikwad, sub inspector Sudhakar Sarang, assistant sub-inspector Jyotiram Mane and head constable Yeshwant Parate, police sources said.

On May 15, police had arrested Paulraj Duraiswami alias Paul from Tamil Nadu. Today's arrests take the number of persons arrested in this case to eight.

Kalokhe was arrested on March 9 after 114 kg of the narcotic drug mephedrone (also called 'meow-meow'), popular in party circuits, was found in his house in Satara district of western Maharashtra. Another 12 kg of the drug was found in his locker at Marine Drive police station here where he was posted.

His arrest revealed that he had relations with infamous lady drug mafia from the city 'Baby' Patankar, who too was arrested later after being on the run for over 40 days.

All the five policemen arrested today have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, said deputy commissioner of police Mohan Dahikar this evening.

Police sources did not elaborate on the roles of these five men in the drug syndicate. They would be produced in the court tomorrow.