NBW against Mamta Kulkarni in Rs 2,000 crore drug case

A special court here issued non-bailable arrest warrants against former Bollywood actor Mamta Kulkarni and alleged international drug lord Vijaygiri aka Vicky Goswami in connection with the Rs 2,000 crore drug bust case.

The warrants were issued by the special court of H M Patwardhan on Monday.

The investigators probing the case claimed to have got "clinching evidence" against them and based on which they want to file a chargesheet, but the duo are declared absconding since their names cropped up in the drug bust, said a senior police officer.

Special public prosecutor Shishir Hiray, appearing for the prosecution, in a marathon submission to the special court sought the warrant, and informed the court that they have ample evidence against the duo and their involvement in the drug racket as a prime accused.

Hiray pointed out that based on the interrogation of arrested accused, Kulkarni and Goswami are main players in the case and they had set up a well-oiled drug cartel, right from procuring raw material of ephedrine from India and even planned transportation and manufacture of methamphetamine in Kenya.

The prosecutor told the court that the arrested accused, Jai Mukhi and Kishor Sinh Rathod, during the probe had mentioned a meeting in a hotel in Kenya, wherein a deal was struck between Goswami, his aides, the Akasha brothers, Mamta, former director of a pharma company, Manoj Jain, Jai Mukhi and Abdullah, were present. "Ample technical evidence, call records are in possession of the investigators and various facts have been revealed during questioning of the arrested accused and statements made by them," Hiray told the court.

He pointed out that Mukhi's version was coraborated by another accused, Kishorsinh Rathod, son of a former Congress MLA from Gujarat, who was arrested in January after nine months on the run.