Drug seizure case: police officer gets bail

The special NDPS court here today granted bail to the suspended police officer Suhas Gokhale of Mumbai police's narcotics cell who was arrested in connection with the seizure of mephedrone from the cupboard of a police constable.
"The court granted bail to Suhas Gokhale, who had been arrested along with four other police officials on May 29, on a bond of Rs 1 lakh," said his lawyer, advocate Dilip Mishra.
According to the police, all the accused were in constant touch with alleged drug mafia Shashikala, alias Baby Patankar, who has been arrested in the case. Inspector Gokhale, police said, helped Patankar flee after the racket came to light.

Mishra argued before the special court for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act here that the laboratory had given a negative report on the drug (mephedrone) seized from constable Dharmaraj Kalokhe.
Gokhale had received a call from Patankar and he immediately called her back to check if it was her but then he passed on the information to his superiors immediately, Mishra said.
Gokhale had been arrested a day before he was due to retire.
Last week, the police sought permission from the court for retesting of samples of the drug seized from Kalokhe's cupboard after the laboratory report said it was not mephedrone but monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Kalokhe, posted at Marine Drive police station here, was arrested on March 9 after 110 kg of mephedrone was seized from his house at a village in Satara district. Next day, 12 kg of mephedrone was seized from his locked cupboard at the police station.