BY PRADNYA GAONKAR

Now that Ashish Shirodkar and Saish Pokle of the ANC have seen suspended and booked, the links between the Goa Police and drug lords in the state are slowly coming to light.

THE ARRESTS of alleged drug peddlers Dudu and Atala has brought the narcotics trade in Goa to the forefront. The Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) seems to be on overdrive and those directly or indirectly associated with the illegal trade of drugs for a long time are now being apprehended. The recent arrest of the watchman of St Xavier’s College in Mapusa, Bahadur Singh, infamous for his alleged drug deals within the campus and outside, came as a shock for many Xavierites as well as parents. While the arrests of the drugs peddlers by the Police Department is taking place at a hyper active pace in Goa, the suspension of former ANC PI Ashish Shirodkar and four policemen has exposed the nexus of the police and drug peddlers.

On Wednesday, March 10, 2010, the CID crime branch booked two of the five suspended policemen - Ashish Shirodkar and constable Saish Pokle — under sections 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (hatching conspiracy) and sections 7, 11, 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Ashish Shirodkar has been posted at the ANC for some time now. The possible involvement of such a long-standing policeman raises questions about the actual work done by the Cell and the free hand given to criminals in the region. While the charges against Shirodkar are being framed now, many cases of harassment by the ANC along the coastal belt, which were earlier ignored, are coming to light. GO came across one such case that occurred in 2007, charging PI Ashish Shirodkar and his colleagues of alleged harassment to a local.

HARASSMENT

"THEY came to me while I was resting on a beach bed, caught hold of me and took me along with them in a private jeep to the Panaji Police Station. I did not know why I was taken to the police station until I read the newspaper the next morning," narrates 43-year-old Naresh Harmalkar, who was arrested in a raid carried out by the Anti Narcotic Cell team led by Ashish Shirodkar, along with police constable Sandeep Parab, also known as ‘Caamin’ and ten others on November 3, 2007. Naresh, a resident of Gaonkarwado, Anjuna, owns a shack named Nikita located on Anjuna beach. He has been in the tourism business for more than 20 years. The mundkar of the plot where his shack is located, Naresh built a house and rented it out to tourists and also gave vehicles on rent.

"We are happy with the money earned at our shack and do not want any illegal drug business. Since we refused to pay haftas to the police who come here every now and then, they started harassing my husband," explains Neha Harmalkar, Naresh’s wife. According to the sequence of events that occurred before the arrest, the ANC team had earlier visited Harmalkar’s house on October 23, 2007 at about 11.45 pm and forcibly entered the room where their three daughters and son were sleeping with their mother. Naresh was not at home at the time. The family members narrate that the police used abusive language and broke open the cupboard, emptied utensils and other grocery items.

While leaving the house, Shirodkar allegedly threatened Neha saying that he would be back to take necessary action against her husband in order to show his involvement in drug activities. Thereafter, Caamin visited Harmalkar’s house on many occasions to inquire about Naresh. Neha Harmalkar called on the then Inspector General of Police, Ujjwal Mishra, on November 3, 2007 and filed a complaint against Ashish Shirodkar and PC Sandeep Parab. The same evening, at around 3.30 pm, Shirodkar arrested Harmalkar at his shack. "They took me to a corner and demanded Rs. Five lakh or else a case of illegal possession of drugs would be filed against me," claims Naresh. When Naresh refused to accept the offer, the police put him in the jeep and took him to Panaji police station. An offence of illegal possession of 1.325 gs of charas and 1.1 gs of LSD papers was registered against him.

"I called my brother and followed my husband to the police station. When I asked about my husband, Caamin used foul language. Even the DIG Mishra, who earlier assured me that no harm would be done to my husband, raised his voice and said **** you," narrates Neha Harmalkar. Naresh faced trial and was in police custody for 18 months.

NOTORIOUS

IT is well known that drugs are freely available in Anjuna. Initially, the region was reeling under the dominance of Kashmiris, who allegedly carried out the illegal drug and flesh trade in the region. According to locals, foreign drug peddlers — Russians and Israelis — deal with ‘A class’ clients while the rest are catered to by Kashmiris and locals. Police links with these drug peddlers was obvious considering their frequent visits to the shacks — eating, drinking and making merry.

Sandeep Parab has been attached to the ANC for a lengthy period, even though his fellow policemen have been transferred to other branches and is alleged to have been involved in hafta collection. In Harmalkar’s case also, Sandeep tried to ‘negotiate’ but Naresh refused. A chargesheet was filed against Naresh on receiving chemical reports of the drug samples sent to Hyderabad. But since the drugs were not found on his person or his house, where did the drugs come from? And what was the amount seized and what amount was sent for sampling?

"A procedure is adopted after the drug is seized. After conviction, the police have to receive court orders for destruction of the drugs. A committee is established comprising senior police officials, including the home secretary, who decide what method to be adopted for destruction. The methods adopted are burning in an electric furnace or using wood, depending on the quantity of the drugs but it is made sure that no harm is caused to the environment. The drugs are collected and destroyed together once the amount is just enough for destruction. The place and time for destruction is not revealed to the public," informed Atmaram Deshpande, SP Crime Branch. But again it is not sure whether the amount seized and the amount reported is the same or manipulated. It is suspected that the seized drugs in earlier cases are being used in instances like in the case of Naresh.

MISUSE

"THE Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPA) Act is being misused by the police. There are many youngsters who are into the shack business for years now. There are many who do not want to get involved in the drug business. But policemen like Ashish and Sandeep force them into it, harass them or arrest them if they do not comply to the demands of the police. There are many who do not know how to get out of it and fall prey to the harassment," says Naresh. Naresh had to face trials in the District Session’s court for 18 months and was released on June 2, 2009 on benefit of doubt. Meanwhile the business came to a stand still in his absence.

"There are many policemen who have accumulated enough wealth after being in the ANC for years. This needs to be investigated. If Naresh’s case was considered and a probe was conducted in 2007 itself, we wouldn’t have wasted two years to nab the main culprits involved in drug peddling," says Tara Kerkar, a social activist who had first raised the issue and supported the Harmalkar family.