The missing link of Goa’s drug trade chain
By Nisser Dias
nisserdias at gmail.com
SMS to 9422437029
From the beginning of this year, the police displayed some spine in
going after some of the big drug dealers in the state, whatever their
intention may have been either to clear the field for bigger players for
bigger stakes for themselves or with noble intentions to rid the state
of drugs is yet to be seen as time passes by. But what has been revealed
so far is that, there does exists a nexus between the families of
politicians, police and drug dealers in the drug trade in the state.
Unfortunately, our Home minister is on record saying that drugs are not
being sold in Goa, when one of the kingpins of the nefarious trade along
the north Goa coastal belt is alleged to being a minister’s son. That
apart, after the Home minister’s statement, police netted David alias
Dudu Dirham - one time a top drug dealer. Subsequently, a Swedish model
Lucky Farmhouse – a former girlfriend of another Israeli drug peddler
Yaniv Benahim alias Atala blew the lid on the drug trade by posting
spycam recording of Atala boasting about his links with a ring of
policemen including police inspector Ashish Shirodkar on Youtube.com.
It is from here that the entire saga of drugs in the state gets very
interesting. The police arrested some of their colleagues including a PI
and as investigation progressed, there were alarming disclosures that
drugs seized for the last 10 years were not destroyed, that the rogue
policemen used to rob drugs from the godown and push it back into the
market and that drugs attached in the court as mundemal property were
also siphoned back into the market, casting a shadow on the judiciary.
That apart, CID Crime Branch have been entrusted with the investigation,
but so far the approach adopted by the investigation team does not seem
to evoke much pride, simply because they could not nab one constable
Sanjay Parab, who managed to elude arrest for two months and finally
made the crime branch team look like kindergartners by surrendering at
the NDPS court.
Besides that, for sometime now the prime witness who exposed the trade
has been saying that a son of a powerful politician is involved, but the
police have not shown much enthusiasm in probing this aspect. However it
is not the first time that the name of this politician’s son has
surfaced. It was making rounds during the death of English victim - 15
year old Scarlet Keeling, Infact it was Fiona Mackeown – mother of the
victim, who has first uttered it in public. For me it is difficult to
believe that the police had not heard it of it earlier.
Of course, it is not the first time that the son of this politician is
in illegal or shady business. Somewhere around 2004, one young girl was
nabbed by the then South Goa SP Indra Dev Shukla near Holy Spirit for
moving around alone during the dead of the night. On questioning her,
led the police to a flat in the vicinity of old Kare College of Law,
wherein another girl was rescued from the hands of the rapist, who
ironically happened to be journalist. It was during this investigation
too that the name of the same politician’s son had surfaced as having
procured the girls, but the police did not show any inclination of
pursuing the matter. And the accused too was acquitted by the court for
lack of evidence.
Similar is the situation now, the police are not very enthusiastic about
investigating the allegations being made that a politician’s son is the
kingpin in the drug trade. Of course truth is an open secret, but till
the time police establishes it as a fact, it will remain a rumour,
ironically though, it is said that a rumour too has an ounce of truth in it.
Lucky Farmhouse through an interview made a bold statement that she has
evidence of a powerful politician’s son being involved in the drug trade
in Goa; question is why is she holding it back. Why does she not post it
on the YouTube, so that the media can pick it up and air it across the
country? In this manner, there is all likelihood that the minister would
be forced to step down and clear the way for the police to investigate
the matter more meticulously and get to the bottom of the matter. And if
at all, it turns out that there is truth in the rumour, the politician’s
son would have to be sent behind bars, which again would reduce the risk
of threat to life of Lucky Farmhouse.
Or could it be that after creating ripples in the state with her
previous posting on the YouTube, that mysterious model is trying get
back at her boyfriend Atala for threatening her or could it be that she
is bargaining a ransom from the politician’s son.
Furthermore, why is it that the police with all its resources cannot get
in touch with her, whereas journalist can easily contact her over the
phone or electronic mail? Why is it that the Crime Branch personnel try
to undo the damage to their reputation only when the media exposes their
inefficiency? Apart from that, why do the police want her to be
physically present in the state just to record her statement as a
witness, can they guarantee her safety in Goa specially when the
politician’s son without doubt must be having contacts with hardened
criminals not only in Goa but elsewhere in the state too. Secondly
specially when 7 cops including a PI and a PSI are cooling their heels
behind bars and have lost their jobs because of her exposure of their
close links with foreign drug dealers, will they seat back and let her
travel to Goa, make her statement against them and get out of the state
so easily.
Moreover, is the Crime Branch investigating team wants us to believe
that only the 7 rogue cops along with the arrested drug dealers were
running the successful drug trade for so many years, without the money
reaching the hands of high ranking police officials?
It is a bit difficult to believe and digest. It is only when drug
dealer’s Atala former girlfriend Lucky Farmhouse posts whatever she
claims to have recorded on the spycam on the YouTube first and then
hands it over to the cops for investigation, shall we know the missing
link in the drug trade. (ENDS)
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First published in Gomantak Times, Goa - May 20, 2010
