Shashikala Patankar drugs case: DCP's statement recorded

The Mumbai crime branch on Saturday recorded the statement of deputy police commissioner Namdeo Chavan, in connection with the narcotics case involving Shashikala Patankar.

The Mumbai crime branch on Saturday recorded the statement of deputy police commissioner Namdeo Chavan, in connection with the narcotics case involving Shashikala Patankar.

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The police sought an official statement from Chavan, who was earlier posted in the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC), after investigations revealed he had allegedly delayed a drug raid in Satara.

After the arrest of Marine Drive police station's constable Dharmaraj Kalokhe in the Patankar drug case, the crime branch caught more people, including Suhas Gokhale, senior inspector at the ANC.

In his statement to the police, Gokhale said he had received a tip-off about an alleged narcotics consignment stashed at Kalokhe's residence around March 5. He approached Chavan, his senior, for permission to carry out a raid outside Mumbai, but Chavan allegedly asked him to wait for some days.

"Chavan claimed that Gokhale spoke about the consignment, but said he was unsure about the tip, and sought for time to confirm the information. Before he could get back with more details, the Satara police had raided Kalokhe's residence and arrested him," said a crime branch officer.

The investigators said they wanted this claim of Chavan in a written form, and had sought his reply. "We have asked him to clarify on what was actually discussed between him and Gokhale when he came to seek permission for the raid," the officer said.

Gokhale has claimed Chavan told him to wait, saying his senior had asked him to do so. The officers said they will study the statement in detail and then corroborate it with the other accused.