SIT formed to investigate Gudlar tapes
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JAN 14
Hours after suspending Police Sub Inspector Sunil Gudlar, Goa Police on Friday instituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate into the tapes showing him allegedly peddling drugs to two foreign women.
The decision to form the SIT came after Chief Minister Digambar Kamat convened a meeting with Home Minister Ravi Naik and Director General of Police (DGP) Bhim Sain Bassi.
The team, headed by Superintendent of Police (SP) Om Prakash Kurtarkar, further comprises Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohan Naik, Inspector Praveen Kumar Vast, sub-inspectors and other personnel.
Police spokesperson Superintendent of Police (Special Branch) Atmaram Deshpande has confirmed the development.
After initial delay, the department late on Thursday night suspended Gudlar.
Goa Police had transferred the case to Crime Branch (CB) SP Mangalsdas Desai on January 6 for a thorough inquiry.
Asked the reason for transferring the case to yet another probing agency, Deshpande replied that they wanted a ‘dedicated effort to handle the case.’
He said, “CB has many cases to handle and to ensure dedicated effort for the present case, it was decided to hand over the investigation to SIT.”
The SIT teams have earlier handled other sensitive cases including Margao bomb blast, etc. “We want that such important cases should be given special mandate and focus for investigation,” he added.
A video-footage telecast on the news channel showed former Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) PSI Gudlar negotiating over a small packet of charas with two women – Ayala and Zarina.
Imprisoned drug dealer David alias Driham’s sister Ayala and his girlfriend Zarina in their respective statements to CB had claimed carrying out a sting operation on Gudlar in association with an Israeli media agency.
ANC earned a bad reputation after its former chief Ashish Shirodkar was named by Israeli drug peddler Yaniv Benaim alias Atala as his supplier of drugs. Following the expose by Atala’s former girlfriend Lucky Amori Farmhouse, seven policemen were suspended and arrested for corruption and conspiracy.
Role of former ANC SP Veenu Bansal (IPS), who is now transferred to Arunchal Pradesh, has also come under scanner with both foreign women alleging he took bribes.
CB on Thursday have faxed summons to Bansal and his arrival is expected shortly for questioning. Several attempts to contact the IPS officer failed as he declined to answer repeated calls or text messages by Herald.
