PANJIM, AUG 23
Has the alleged Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benahim alias Atala succeeded in giving police a miss? Or did the police allow him to slip away?
Atala, who is considered to be the main link in the police-politician-drug nexus case has gone missing for almost two months and the police have no clue of his whereabouts.
The Israeli, was released on bail in June by the NDPS court on condition that he would not leave the State or the country.
Confirming that they did not have any clue where Atala was since he was released on bail, Superintendent of Police (CB) Chandrakant Salgaonkar said since Atala failed to report at the Crime Branch office the police team went to track him at the address furnished but was found missing.
“We were told that he had checked out on July 4 from Angel Resorts, Porvorim and thereafter we don’t know where he is”, Salgaonkar said.
The alleged drug dealer was arrested in March this year after his former girlfriend, Lucky Farmhouse, posted a video on youtube.com wherein he confessed about his links with policemen.
Seven policemen including Inspector Ashish Shirodkar were arrested.
Salgaonkar has said that they will be writing to the Court informing that he is missing.
When contacted, the workers at the hotel disclosed that Atala checked out on July 4.
The Digambar Kamat-led Government came in for severe criticism during the recent monsoon session of the Goa legislative Assembly for refusing to hand over the police-drug mafia case to the CBI.
The Opposition BJP had demanded the case be handed over to the CBI as the name of Home Minister’s son had cropped up.
However, both the chief minister and the home minister stood their ground and refused a CBI probe saying the police were doing a professional job.
Incidentally, apart from BJP, the NCP too mounted pressure on the Government demanding a CBI probe into the case.
It may be recalled that Atala was deported in 2006 for overstaying and despite that he managed to evade the cops, returned to Goa and carried on the drug business.
