NCP man orchestrated drugs-on-cruise raid: BJP leader

Sanjay Kumar Singh, deputy director general (operations) of the NCB, arrives at the Ballard Estate office on Saturday. The IPS officer has taken over six cases, including the drugs-on-cruise case. Pic/Suresh Karkera

BJP leader Mohit Bhartiya (Kamboj) on Saturday alleged that the main conspirator behind the drugs-on-cruise raid was NCP leader Sunil Patil. Bhartiya has also presented evidence in this regard, and claimed that Kiran Gosavi, who was a panch witness in the case, was Patil's man.

According to the information given by Bhartiya, on October 1, Patil first sent a WhatsApp message to Sam D'Souza, followed by a call, where he told him that he had the names of 27 people, who were going to be part of a cruise party in Mumbai. D'Souza then spoke to NCB officer VV Singh, Bhartiya claimed.

He alleged that Patil then went on to tell D'Souza to introduce his man - Gosavi - to the NCB officer. After this call, the NCB carried out a raid on October 2, at 4 pm. D'Souza is said to have later allegedly brokered a deal, between actor Shah Rukh Khan's manager Pooja Dadlani and Gosavi in the case.

While addressing the media, Bhartiya also claimed that he had an audio clip, where Patil told D'Souza that he had a close relationship with Dilip Walse-Patil, Minister of Home Affairs in the state government. He further alleged that Sunil Patil was a friend of Anil Deshmukh's son Hrishikesh, and that Patil ran a racket related to posting and transfers in association with the Home ministry in Maharashtra from 1999 to 2014.

Bhartiya went on to claim that just a few days before Dawood Ibrahim's henchman Chinku Pathan was arrested by the NCB in January this year, the then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had met him at the Sahyadri Guest House. During this meeting the son-in-law of a minister was also present and they had discussed money that would be exchanged to protect Pathan.

"Nawab Malik should tell us about his relationship with Patil, who is known to many NCP leaders," said Bhartiya. Malik, however, tweeted denying the allegations and said he would reveal the truth on Sunday.