24 October,2023 07:48 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish Vaktania
Lalit Patil, drug lord
Lalit Patil, a drug lord, made a revelation during interrogation by Sakinaka Police, saying, "Mere pe ek web series banegi." Patil also admitted that his motivation for seeking attention was to perform stunts and gain fame, which led him to provide false statements to the media and the court. Meanwhile, the Sakinaka police uncovered the use of crores of Hawala money in the drug racket.
Currently, the Sakinaka police team is investigating outside Mumbai to trace the drugs and money associated with accused Patil and his co-conspirators. On Monday, Patil and his co-accused were produced in the Andheri court and remanded to police custody until October 27.
According to a police source, "In the investigation, we found that Patil is cooperating with the police and helping to dismantle the supply chain racket. He expressed his desire to become an actor and create a web series about his life. He believes that his story is compelling and has connections with political leaders."
Despite these claims, the Sakinaka police have not discovered any political connections in the drug racket. Patil did, however, disclose the names of several drug peddlers in Mumbai who supply drugs to college students and affluent areas where celebrities reside.
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A police source revealed, "After Patil's arrest, he noticed that the media was connecting him with various political leaders. He took advantage of the media attention to seek fame and began lying to the media and the court."
The Sakinaka police are now seeking custody of Bhushan Patil, Lalit's brother and an accomplice in running a drug factory in Nashik, as well as another co-accused.
Lalit's driver, Sachin Wagh, who was arrested on October 19 in Nashik, confessed to working for Patil and disposing of drugs at an undisclosed location, as stated in the remand order.
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The police allege that the Patil brothers financed a company in Nashik that produced large quantities of MD drugs, leased by Kamble and Yadav, whose full names have not been disclosed in court. The police suspect that the Patil brothers are the masterminds behind the racket and may have managed similar "pharmaceutical companies" across the state.
Lalit is suspected of running a drug racket via phone calls while his brother Bhushan was allegedly closely connected to the drug syndicate.
Advocate Swapnil Wagh represented Lalit in court and argued, "The police are yet to find concrete evidence against Lalit Patil or recover any technical records connecting him to fellow accused." Lalit Patil denied all allegations against him, and his lawyer requested that the Mumbai police not investigate the Sassoon case separately, it was alleged that Lalit while was admitted to Sassoon hospital in Pune he carried out his drug racket, as Pune police had already registered an FIR against him.
The Andheri court granted police custody of Lalit, Sachin Wagh, Shivaji Shinde, and Rohit Chaudhary for four days to facilitate face-to-face interrogations. Last week, Pune police arrested Pragya Kamble and Archana Nikam, alleging that they helped Lalit Patil escape from Sassoon hospital in Pune and remained in contact with him during his escape. A Pune police team was present during the hearing, with one officer stating, "Lalit Patil is the kingpin; we will seek his custody once this police custody ends here."
The Mumbai police will also request custody of Bhushan Patil to facilitate face-to-face interrogations with both brothers and other accused.
October 27
Date accused are remanded in police custody till