Notorious drug lord met the Indian smugglers 20 times in Kenya since 2014; the consignment of 1,300 kg of drugs seized by Gujarat police recently was also meant for him
Vicky Goswami
Notorious drug lord and husband of former Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni, Vicky Goswami, ran an international drug racket out of Kenya and around 100 kg of ephedrine was smuggled to him out of Gujarat in the last three months, the Thane police have found.
Vicky Goswami
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The investigation into the recent drug haul worth Rs 2,000 crore by the Thane police has revealed that around 100 kg was smuggled to Kenya in the last three months. “We suspect that a large consignment was shipped to Goswami, but as of now, the arrested accused (ringleader Punit Sringi, director of pharma company Avon Life Science Limited in Solapur, Manoj Jain and supplier Harideep Singh Indarsingh) have revealed only this. They said the consignment of 1,300 kg of drugs, which was seized in Ahmedabad recently after the arrest of supplier Narendra Kacha, was meant to be smuggled to Kenya,” said a senior officer from the Thane police commissionerate.
Thane CP Parambir Singh told mid-day that Goswami played a crucial role in the smuggling racket operating out of Mumbai and Gujarat. “Our team, along with different national and international investigating agencies, is on his hunt. We are also gathering information on his local and international links.”
Meetings in Kenya
The other ringleaders of the drug racket, Jay Mukhi and Kishore Rathod — son of former MLA Bhavsingh Rathod — both of whom are absconding, Jain and two others allegedly met Goswami over 20 times since 2014 at Hotel Bliss in Kenya. The latest meeting was in January this year.
“We can’t reveal the name
f the other two who attended the meetings since it will affect our investigation. We suspect that Goswami has been residing in Kenya since the time he was released on bail in another drug case,” said a senior Thane police officer.
In his police statement, Kacha had said Kishore Singh Rathod had given him the 1,300 kg of drugs.
US officials seek help
The US Drug Enforcement Administration, which is also hunting down Goswami, has written to Parag Manare, deputy commissioner of police, Thane crime branch, seeking help in the international drug racket case.
“The US agency is in search of Vicky Goswami, and have sought our help with the case. It has asked for mobile numbers, addresses and passport details of Manoj Jain, Punit Sringi and Harideep Indersingh. Its letter stated that Goswami arrested in a 100-kg heroin haul but was released on bail by the Kenya police in November 2014 on the grounds that he had transformed into a better human being. His two associates were Ibrahim Akasha and Baktash Akasha,” said the officer.
Singh said the DEA plans to approach the Kenyan court, asking it to cancel the bail since Goswami is still an active drug smuggler.
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