PANAJI
The Hyderabad City police are going through a tough time tracking down the main suppliers of drugs in Goa’s coastal belt, although the team managed to arrest John Stephen D’Souza aka Steve, the owner of Hill Top nightclub in Vagator.
The Osmania University Police, assisted by the Anjuna police, arrested Steve from the police station where he was summoned to collect a pre-arrest notice on Wednesday morning.
But the ongoing probe in Goa is not a cakewalk for the Hyderabad police. Information leak to the accused who are then quick enough to come up with excuses to evade arrest is proving to be a major hurdle for Hyderabad police. The team headed by its Superintendent has been camping in Goa since September 19 to investigate the inter-state drug cartel largely operated by notorious drug dealers in Goa.
“All the assistance required to probe the case is provided to the Hyderabad police. However, our counterparts are in a tight spot as the word about an accused’s detention or arrest and raids quickly reaches the other side,” a senior officer, overseeing the joint investigation, told The Goan.
While Edwin Nunes of the infamous Curlies shack is “down with Covid-19” in what the Hyderabad police suspect is an excuse to escape arrest, Steve has shown complete reluctance to cooperate with the probe claiming he “recently underwent heart transplant” and other wanted accused are in hiding. In fact, Steve was reportedly suggested by his “well-wishers” to not visit the police station apprehending it was a trap to arrest the septuagenarian.
Nunes, whose anticipatory bail plea is currently pending hearing before the Hyderabad Court, has refused to undergo the diagnostic test for Covid-19. With an inter-state coordination meeting of five states scheduled on Thursday-Friday, Steve is likely to be escorted to Hyderabad subject to his medical condition.
Soon after his arrest and a transit remand application before the local court, Steve complained of uneasiness. He was shifted to the district hospital with the court adjourning the hearing pending report on his health status.
“He isn’t cooperating with us. He claims to have undergone a heart transplant and hence, cannot travel out of Goa. We are examining all the aspects to ensure he joins the investigation in our State. If required, a medical officer might accompany us to Telangana or we shall wait till he’s fine,” an officer with Telangana police, told The Goan. The visiting police team is nonetheless content with the cooperation rendered by the top brass in the Goa Police.
Now as the Osmania police are equipped with evidence of drug trafficking against Goa’s alleged drug lords but the current situation is seemingly not in their control, Goa’s counterparts are contemplating to re-visit the coastal State backed by a huge force to track them down. “If circumstances remain the same, we will return with extra force to nab the accused. Goa Police’s assistance will certainly be sought again for a coordinated effort to crack a whip on the lethal network operating from Goa by arresting the drug dealers,” the officer maintained.
As many as 10 alleged kingpins are wanted in the case that saw the arrest of Anjuna local Pritesh Borkar by the Hyderabad Narcotic Enforcement Wing and Osmania University Police on August 16. The Telangana police swung into action when Borkar confessed top names of drug lords in the State.
