'Goa policeman called Israeli drug dealers 400 times'

Panaji, March 22 : A policeman accused of links with the narcotics mafia contacted two Israeli drug dealers over 400 times in the past six months, a public prosecutor told a local court here Monday.

In her arguments before the Panaji Sessions Court, public prosecutor Shiral Monteiro said that Sandeep Parab, a police constable, who was formerly attached with the Anti- Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Goa police had called drug dealers Yaniv Benaim alias Atala and David Driham alias Dudu 400 times over the past six months.

"He was also in touch with another local drug dealer Sadanand Chimulkar, before the latter was arrested by the ANC," Monteiro said, while seeking a non bailable warrant for Parab.

Both Atala and Dudu are in police custody and are reported to have revealed names of policemen, journalists and kin of ruling politicians who are linked to the narcotics mafia in Goa.

Five police personnel, including a suspended senior inspector of Goa, were arrested last week for links with Atala, who was caught on spycamera boasting of his links to several Goa police officers. Parab, however had managed to evade the police net.

All the five accused -- senior police inspector Ashish Shirodkar, head constable Hussein Shaikh and three police constables Saish Pokle, Sandeep Parab and Ramchandra Kankonkar -- were booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.