Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell has arrested Keyur Jayesh Gogri (29), son of Beena Gogri, National President of the BJP’s Bharat Raksha Manch, for allegedly selling hydro ganja smuggled from Thailand.

The arrest followed a raid at his residence in Kharghar Sector 19, where police seized 800 milligrams of hydro ganja worth ₹5,000.

Acting on a tip-off, a team led by Senior Police Inspector Sandeep Nigde of the Anti-Narcotics Cell conducted a raid on October 30 at Shivsai Building in Kharghar. During the search, police recovered plastic packets, a crusher, and a weighing scale from Gogri’s apartment.

A further inspection of his car led to the discovery of hydro ganja concealed under the seat.

According to officials, the contraband was reportedly smuggled from Thailand through illegal routes by two of Gogri’s friends. During interrogation, Gogri allegedly confessed that he had procured the substance from his friend Sharikh, a resident of Bhandup, who smuggled it from Thailand, and occasionally from Noman, who lives in Ulwe.

He admitted that he intended to sell the drug to local youths in the Kharghar area.

Following the seizure, the Anti-Narcotics Cell registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the Kharghar Police Station, leading to Gogri’s arrest.

Police have since intensified their search for the two suppliers linked to the Thailand-based drug network.

“The seized hydro ganja has a clear international trail connected to Thailand. We are tracing the two other suspects involved in this smuggling network,” said Senior Police Inspector Sandeep Nigde of the Anti-Narcotics Cell.

Mumbai: In a fresh twist, it has come to light that deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Datta Nalawade had contacted former education minister Deepak Kesarkar, seeking his help to negotiate with Rohit Arya on October 30 when he had taken 17 children hostage. “If the crime branch summons me for a statement, I will cooperate with the probe,” Kesarkar told this newspaper.

According to police sources, the DCP made the call around 2 pm and requested Kesarkar to speak with the hostage-taker, calm him down and secure the kids’ safe release. However, Kesarkar reportedly avoided a direct conversation with Arya, instead suggesting that Arya’s claim of pending dues could be settled in tandem with the department concerned. When contacted by the Free Press Journal, Kesarkar confirmed receiving a call from the DCP.

“Yes, Nalawade called me that day. However, I did not realise the situation was so grave. I was in a meeting at the time,” he said

The former minister added that Arya’s relief proposal was delayed due to incomplete documentation with the education department. Sources revealed that statements of the ATS officer Amol Waghmare, who fired at Arya, Powai police senior inspector Sonawane, and R A Studio owner Manish Agarwal have been recorded.

Police are also examining the phone and medical history of the dead hostage-taker and trying to ascertain from where he procured the airgun used in the incident. Preliminary findings indicate that Arya had invited several aspiring actors – five from Nanded, one each from Kolhapur, Sakinaka and Borivali, and three from Navi Mumbai – to R A Studio for auditions.

Mumbai: The special MCOCA court has refused to discharge 63-year-old Tribhuvan Rampati Singh, accused of being one of the assailants in the 1992 JJ Hospital shootout in Mumbai, aimed at avenging the 1991 firing at Dawood Ibrahim’s brother-in-law, Ibrahim Iqbal Parkar.

The prosecution alleges that a group, purportedly from the Arun Gawli gang, attacked Parkar on March 16, 1991. Subsequently, on September 12, 1992, at 3:45 am, assailants armed with AK-47s, pistols, revolvers, and hand grenades entered the ward where shooter Shailesh Haldankar was admitted, opening fire. Haldankar and two constables on security duty were killed, with several others seriously injured.

Arrested after 32 years in Uttar Pradesh for murder charges, Singh was identified through eyewitness statements and a test identification parade, with his confession implicating him in the attack. The prosecution noted, “the report of the doctor about old injuries that appeared on the person of the applicant clearly reflects the old injury due to firearms,” as Singh was injured during police retaliation and fled. Singh’s lawyer, Sudeep Pasbola, claimed mistaken identity, arguing that only two assailants, Subhash Thakur (convicted) and Brijesh Singh (discharged), were involved, and the identification after 32 years is unreliable.

Prosecutor Sunil Go nsalves countered that Singh, alias Ramapati Pradhan, refused a DNA test. The court, after reviewing the record, observed, “prima facie evidence clearly demonstrates that the applicant was involved in the offence of conspiracy, murder, aiding, and abetting to the criminal activity of a crime syndicate,” finding sufficient grounds to proceed against Singh.