Mumbai: MP police did not collect CCTV from spot where alleged drug deal happened

Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta delivered the letter to Gwalior IG through their advocate, on Thursday

The Madhya Pradesh police failed to collect crucial evidence that would have helped them establish whether the Goregaon couple ran the alleged drug distribution network. On Thursday, the Gwalior inspector general received a letter from Shivangi Mehta, seeking examination of CCTV footage of locations of alleged handover of drugs to the peddler they arrested in June. However, the chances of recovery of the footage, nearly two months later, are minimal.

Shivangi and her husband Ashesh, digital currency enthusiasts and businesspersons, were accused of running a drug distribution network out of a posh high-rise in Goregaon after the Madhya Pradesh (MP) police arrested a Mira Road resident.

The Khaniyadhana police of Shivpuri district, MP, had said that Nisar Khan, 39, was arrested with 142 gram of mephedrone (MD) worth R17 lakh on June 6. He claimed to be a drug courier for the Mehtas.

Ashesh Mehta with his sister Niki Shah; (right) Oberoi Esquire in Goregaon East, the residence of the accused couple

The MP cops had visited Mumbai last month, but they did not collect any CCTV footage of the places where the alleged drops were made to Khan, said Khaniyadhana police sources.

The Mehtas have been in hiding since the MP police arrived in the city last month to question them in the case. On Thursday, their advocate Hemant Ingle delivered a letter by Shivangi to the inspector general (IG) of police, Gwalior range, MP, demanding a fair investigation.

The letter

In the letter, Shivangi claimed that her husband has been in the share-trading business for the past 13 years, and has customers not only in India, but abroad as well. She stated that they don't know the person [Nisar] who has named them in the case.

A media report has claimed that her husband used to drive to a car washing centre to deliver drug parcels, she wrote, adding, "The truth is that neither of us know how to drive a car".

"We are seeing a deep conspiracy, but we do not have the information about who is behind it. We are just simple people.

We did not deal with the police because we were scared when our name appeared in the media and that was the reason we filed a bail application in the Shivpuri court to avoid arrest," she stated in her letter to the IG.

"I request the police to investigate the matter in a fair manner, if we are guilty, then we should be given the harshest punishment..." she added.

Since the matter came to light last month, a family member of the couple has for the first time appeared before the media. Ashesh's sister Niki Shah told mid-day, "I know my brother; he is a kind and soft-hearted person.

Never in his life so far, he has had a verbal fight or abused anyone. He focuses only on his business. A big conspiracy has been hatched against my brother. There is a demand from the government and the police to investigate it thoroughly and take action against whoever is guilty."

No evidence yet: Cops

"No evidence of the involvement of the Mehtas has been found so far. To find any kind of link between Khan and the couple, we have obtained the call data record of their mobile numbers.

However, no proof of conversation between them has come to the fore, not even in the mobile phone seized from Khan at the time of his arrest," said an officer from Khaniyadhana police.

"But it is also quite possible that Khan and the couple spoke through WhatsApp and other internet mediums whose record is not easy to extract. Therefore, we are taking the help of a cyber expert," the officer added.

"We have interrogated the arrested accused [Khan] again with the permission of the court, but he mentioned only the Mehtas' names.

Khan has also told us that he has transported drug parcels to different places not once, but multiple times. There is no fresh update in the case, as the investigation is underway. We are preparing to visit Mumbai for further investigation," said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Ajay Bhargav, the investigating officer in the case.

AdvocateSpeak

"The Mehtas are innocent and it's likely a frame-up. I am thankful to the IG for accepting the representation and assuring us a thorough investigation," said Ingle.

June 10
Day the MP cops filed the FIR

June 6
Day the MP police arrested alleged drug courier