Cocaine case: one more accomplice of BJP leader Rakesh Singh arrested

Aryan Dev was assigned the task of alerting cops about the presence of cocaine inside Pamela Goswami’s car, police said

The accused was present during Rakesh Singh’s recce of the spot from where Pamela Goswami was arrested two days later. This means he was completely aware of Rakesh Singh’s conspiracy...,” said a senior police officer in Lalbazar.: Shutterstock

TT  |   Alipore   |    08.03.21  :  A man, whom police identified as one of the accomplices of BJP leader Rakesh Singh, has been arrested in connection with the cocaine case on Saturday night.

Aryan Dev, 42, a resident of Somnath Lahiri Lane in New Alipore, was allegedly part of the planning by Singh and was present when Singh had conducted a recce at New Alipore on February 17, two days before 90grams cocaine was found in BJP leader Pamela Goswami’s car on NR Avenue in New Alipore.

Dev was also assigned  the task of alerting police about the presence of cocaine inside Goswami’s car, the police said.

Based on his tip-off, officers of New Alipore police station had reached NR Avenue on February 19 afternoon when Goswami and her friend Prabir Dey were apparently waiting for another man named Rajesh Kumar Prasad to join them for a purported meeting with a central minister. On searching Goswami’s car, the police had seized 90grams of cocaine and arrested Goswami, Dey and Goswami’s security guard Somnath Chatterjee from the spot.

“The accused was present during Rakesh Singh’s recce of the spot from where Pamela Goswami was arrested two days later. This means he was completely aware of Rakesh Singh’s conspiracy...,” said a senior police officer in Lalbazar.

The police said Dev has at least one old cheating case with Calcutta police.

The officer added that Singh had allocated different tasks to his associates in connection with the cocaine case.

Amrit Singh, who is still at large, was allegedly assigned to convince Goswami with the alleged promise of getting her a ticket in the ensuing Assembly elections by fixing a purported meeting with a central minister, Suraj Shah was asked to go to the spot at New Alipore and help Amrit

Singh flee while Dev was asked to alert the police, an officer said.

Officers of the detective department said they were yet to find out who helped Singh to procure the cocaine.

Dev was produced at the Alipore narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances court on Sunday and remanded to police custody. With Saturday’s arrest, six people have been caught in connection with the case.