More than a little mischievous
Was it a goof-up or mischief by someone to embarrass deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis? The chargesheet filed by the Mumbai police in connection with the FIR filed by the Deputy CM’s wife Amruta Fadnavis at Malabar Hill police station against alleged bigtime bookie Anil Jaisinghani contains WhatsApp chats between the two. What is shocking is that the chats reveal details of the personal lives of Fadnavis and his wife. Senior cops are claiming that the chats were useful in tracking down Jaisinghani who was on the run. But when he was arrested it was claimed that his calls were tracked and thus the cops could zero in on him in Gujarat. In any case, was it necessary to include these particular chats between Amruta and Anil? In what way do they strengthen the prosecution’s case? In fact, they weaken it because they disclose the proximity between the two. The whole episode is particularly embarrassing for Fadnavis as he is in charge of the home portfolio.
Bookie’s Threat to Amruta Fadnavis: WhatsApp Chats Form Key Part of Chargesheet |
Who’s shielding suave drug pushers?
The interrogation of Asgar Ali Shirazi by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police not only exposed the modus operandi used by the drug syndicate to distribute drugs through courier companies and cloud kitchens. What is more interesting are the names of people in Mumbai whom Shirazi has squealed as being involved in the drug trade. It includes people from the corporate world and Bollywood. Many of them have opened restaurants and bars, which are nothing but fronts for pushing drugs. The question is whether the ANC will carry its probe to its logical conclusion by arresting all those named by Shirazi. One of them is a big-time jeweller with stores in central Mumbai but remains untouched so far. Meanwhile, Santosh Sethi, a big-time drug smuggler having links with D-Company is continuing his operations unhindered. A suave operator, he will pass off for a fashion model and is known for his savviness in negotiating deals with international drug cartels.
Aliasgar Shirazi |
Someone’s building wealth!
Then there is this builder from Navi Mumbai who has duped scores of people of several crores of rupees, but whom the cops are not willing to arrest. The problem is that almost all the persons who have given money to this builder expecting high returns have done so in cash. There is no documentary proof. It’s their black money which they have invested in his projects. Taking advantage of the fact that there is no ‘likha padhi’ (written agreement), this builder is simply refusing to return the money. As the builder concerned was dropping the name of a top NCP gun, the cops were unwilling to question him even informally when the MVA was in power. Now that there is a change in regime, the investors are hoping that the police will “off the record” help them recover their funds, of course for a fee. Similarly, there is a jeweller of central Mumbai who has similarly duped several financiers and is now asking them to take a walk.
Nigeria is Sandesaras’ safe haven
Brothers Nitin and Chetan Sandesara are totally nonchalant about the criminal cases filed against them in India. They are holed up in Nigeria where they enjoy an excellent relationship with the local government. They even bagged a multi-billion dollar contract for drilling for oil in the Niger delta, which will see their profits touch the skies. The Indian government’s efforts to extradite them have been thwarted by the Nigerian government. This is surprising, because if Delhi tries hard enough it should be possible for it to bring the brothers over to India and face trial. A powerful lobby fronting for the Sandesaras, however, is blocking the extradition. But it should be said to the credit of our government that its sleuths are keeping a close tab on the two fugitives.
Compiled by S Balakrishnan
