Ephedrine haul case: Accused threatened not to turn approver

The accused, Punit Shringi, a former senior official of Avon Lifesciences Ltd, who was till recently lodged in the Thane Jail and is in the custody of Gujarat ATS, informed the police and the prosecution about death threats if he recorded his statement before the magistrate, Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray told the court of Special Judge and district judge HM Patwardhan on Wednesday.

Hiray said this while contesting the bail pleas of some the accused arrested in the multi-crore drug racket, involving Avon Lifesciences.

Earlier, the Thane Police had told the media that one of the arrested persons in the case had in a statement under Section 164 of the CrPC given details of the modus operandi and about the crucial meetings held in Kenya and Dubai regarding the ephedrine sale.

The police were also trying to record Shrine’s statement under CrPC Section 164, which is crucial to the investigation in the case.

Recently, actress Mamta Kulkarni was named as a prime accused in a multi-crore drug racket linked to drug baron Vicky Goswami, with the Mumbai Police claiming that she was actively involved in the illicit activities.

The police have initiated the process for extradition of Kulkarni and Goswami, who are said to be in a relationship and are currently based in Kenya.