Another aide of Pune drug lord Lalit Patil arrested

Lalit Patil

The Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court granted police custody of Lalit Patil and Harish Pant till October 30. Patil and other co-accused were produced in the court as their remand had ended, while Pant was produced before the court as he had been arrested late at night on October 26. According to the police, Pant was the ‘formula man' of the drug syndicate and helped Patil brother's (Bhushan) in the installation of equipment at the location.

The police said Harish Pant, 28, was apprehended from Uttarakhand. The cops had initially detained him, but after he confessed to his role in the drug syndicate he was arrested. "He was the ‘formula man' of the drug syndicate and helped Patil brother's (Bhushan) in the installation of equipment at the location. He had technical knowledge and we suspect he also played the role of a middleman between Amir Shaikh and Lalit Patil," a police officer said, adding that Patil and Pant were acquaintances as the former's then wife Advocate Pradnya Patil had helped the latter secure bail in an NDPS case before.

Patil's lawyer Swapnil Wagh rubbished all allegations. File Pic/Twitter

Sources in the Pune police said that Pant had attempted to get a degree in chemistry (BSc). "He had the technical knowledge of drugs as he had taken ‘classes' from an accused Arvindkumar Lahore," said the source. However, Advocate Wasim Nizam who represented Pant in court ridiculed all the claims saying, "Everything is painted in air… the police have not established any links with Patil and my client has seen him (Patil) for the first time."

Meanwhile, the police, while seeking custody of the accused said, "Lalit Patil, Amir Shaikh and Harish Pant are three important accused who carried out the drug syndicate racket. We have to interrogate them face to face and check their financial transactions," the police said in court. "We suspect that Pant has shared the formula with other people as well and has helped them set up drug factories,' said the police.

Patil's lawyer Swapnil Wagh rubbished all the allegations. "Patil has denied all the allegations and there is no involvement of his in the Nashik-based drug company," he argued in the court. The police said, "The Company had been leased by Kamble. Patil took advantage of his situation as he was in need of money for his mother's treatment. Patil convinced him that he was going to establish a pesticide company in Nashik. Kamble believed him and gave his PAN and Aadhar cards to Patil, who then forged Kamble's document to establish a company in Nashik." The court granted Lalit Patil, Sachin Wagh and Harish Pant police custody till October 30, while the other co-accused have been sent to judicial custody.

Meanwhile, the Nashik city police's Crime Branch has summoned ex-mayor and Shiv Sena UBT member Vinayak Pandey. According to sources, Pandey had sacked his driver Arjun Pardeshi as he had "a lot of health issues". It is alleged that Pardeshi worked with Patil for a brief period of time. "Pardeshi was in touch with Patil. We have recorded the driver's statement and will soon record Pandey's statement," said Prashant Bachchav, DCP, Crime Branch.