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regular-article-logo Saturday, 16 November 2024

Cocaine case: Suspect’s call went to Rakesh, says sleuth

Pamela Goswami has alleged that one of Singh’s associates had trapped her by promising a ticket for her friend Prabir Kumar Dey

Monalisa Chaudhuri Alipore Published 26.02.21, 02:38 AM
BJP youth wing leader Pamela Goswami being produced at Alipore Judges Court on Thursday.

BJP youth wing leader Pamela Goswami being produced at Alipore Judges Court on Thursday. Pradip Sanyal

The man who had allegedly told BJP youth leader Pamela Goswami that he was taking her to meet a central minister and was calling the minister’s personal assistant when their car was parked on NR Avenue in New Alipore last Friday had called Rakesh Singh instead, an investigator involved in the cocaine probe said.

Minutes after the phone call, a team of officers from New Alipore police station surrounded Goswami’s car and seized 90gram cocaine from inside.

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The man who made the call apparently fled the spot and could not be apprehended till late on Thursday.

Based on Goswami’s statement, the police had analysed the call details of the man who had arranged a purported meeting between her and a central minister and also allegedly promised her a ticket in the upcoming Assembly elections, officers said.

The police apparently found that the call he had made from the spot had terminated to a SIM card issued in the name of Jitender Singh, who is known for his proximity to Rakesh Singh.

After interrogating Jitender Singh, it emerged that Rakesh Singh had recently purchased a SIM card and a phone using Jitender’s identity documents, the police said.

“Jitender Singh claimed that although the SIM card and the phone were in his name, they were being used by Rakesh Singh. The same SIM card and phone were recovered from Rakesh Singh’s possession after his arrest in Galsi (in East Burdwan) on Tuesday night,” said an investigator.

Officers at Lalbazar have also stumbled upon information related to another associate of Rakesh Singh, who is believed to have tipped off New Alipore police about the purported cocaine in Pamela’s car, a source said.

“Interestingly the same person, who has multiple cheating cases pending against him in Calcutta, had alerted Pamela Goswami to remain cautious and avoid travelling through the jurisdiction of four police station areas, including New Alipore. It is clear now he was playing both sides,” an officer said.

Goswami was arrested along with her friend Prabir Kumar Dey and security guard Somnath Chatterjee. Dey and Chatterjee both were allegedly in the same car as Goswami. They had been in police custody since Friday.

On Thursday, their police remand was extended till March 4. The police sought her remand during the day to interrogate her in the presence of party colleague Rakesh Singh, a co-accused in the cocaine case.

On her way to the court on Thursday, Goswami alleged that one of Rakesh Singh’s associates had trapped her by promising a ticket for her friend Dey and another man named Rajesh Kumar Prasad for the upcoming Assembly elections and that they were supposed to meet a central minister on the same day she was arrested. She also identified the minister.

“Rakesh Singh had interest in me. He used to assault me physically. My primary allegations are against him. I was trapped by his man Amrit Singh. He planted the cocaine. That day he was taking us to **** (the central minister). Amrit Singh had promised tickets to Prabir (Dey) and another CA named Rajesh Prasad. My allegations are against Rakesh Singh and OC, New Alipore,” Goswami shouted on her way to the court.

The officer in charge of New Alipore police station could not be reached for comment. He did not respond to a text message seeking his reaction.

The court on Thursday approved the prayer for recording the magisterial statement of Prasad, a chartered accountant, and ano-ther person named Sandip Agarwal as “witnesses” in the case under Section 164 of the CrPC.

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