Jun 09 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Four years after murder of J Dey, court frames charges against 10  Ahmed Ali  Mumbai:   The special MCOCA court on Monday framed charges against 10 accused in the 2011 murder of journalist J Dey .The chargesheet in the case had been filed by the crime branch. Four years after bikeborne men gunned down Dey on June 11, 2011, in Powai, the motive behind the murder remains a grey area for the investigating agency . Within a month of the killing, the crime branch arrested 10 men in the case for their alleged role in executing or abetting the crime at the behest of gangster Chhota Rajan. On November 25 that year, the crime branch also arrested journalist Jigna Vora, accused of instigating Chhota Rajan against Dey . Main accused Rohit Joseph alias Satish Kaliya, who allegedly shot Dey from close range, his associates Anil Waghmode, Abhijit Shinde, Nilesh Shedge, Arun Dake, Mangesh Aagwane, Sachin Gaikwad, Deepak Sisodia and Joseph Paulson, and journalist Jigna Vora were present in the special court at the Arthur Road Jail. Underworld don Chhota Rajan and one Nayansingh Bisht, who allegedly provided the weapon to the shooters, are shown as absconding accused. Builder Vinod Asrani alias Chembur, who was accused of identifying Dey to shooters, died of kidney failure in April. His case is abated. ACP S Deshmukh and inspector Vilas Datir, who are the investigating officers, said the police would submit documents before the court on June 18. “There is strong circumstantial as well material evidence like eyewitnesses, identification parade, confessional statements, international sim cards, call detail reports and the weapons to establish that this set of people hatched a conspiracy and killed Dey ,“ Deshmukh said. “We hope that we get 100% conviction in this case.“ All the accused were charged with the common IPC sections of 302, 120 and 201 for murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, besides stringent provisions of the MCOCA and the Arms Act. Vora was charged with IPC sections 302 and 120 B for murder, criminal conspiracy and instigating Chhota Rajan against Dey . The chargesheet had stated that she provided the fugitive don with Dey's home and office addresses as well as the licence number of his motorcycle. Sisodia was charged with procuring the weapon from absconding accused Bisht. Paulson allegedly provided Rs 2 lakh to the shooters and was charged with additional MCOCA sections of being a member of an organized gang and indulging in unlawful activities. Vora, Paulson and Sisodia are the only three accused out on bail.   

Jun 09 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Meow meow seizure: Central forensic lab to decide fate of five arrested cops  Ahmed Ali  Mumbai:    The Central Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) will decide the fate of the five policemen arrested for their alleged involvement in the mephedrone seizure case.On May 29, senior inspector Suhash Gokhale, sub-inspector Sudhakar Sarang and head constable Yashwant Parthe of the anti-narcotics cell; assistant inspector Gautam Gaikwad of the Nashik police; and assistant sub-inspector Jyotiram Mane of the Mumbai crime branch were arrested for their suspected links with drug queen Shashikala alias Baby Patankar, who too is behind bars. On Monday , the five were produced before the special NDPS court where the police again sought to extend their custody on the grounds that they want to interrogate them along with Marine Drive police constable Dharma Kalokhe, who was arrest ed and dismissed from service after 112kg of suspected mephedrone was found at his Satara home and cupboard in the police station in March. The defence raised questions over the Pune and Mumbai FSL reports that concluded that the samples sent to them by the Satara police and Mumbai crime branch respectively were not mephedrone. The defence argued that they have “already spent enough time in custody“ and hence, they be sent to judicial custody . The NDPS court then remanded them in judicial custody. Advocates Dilip Mishra and Shekar Bhandari are likely to seek bail for them on Tuesday . Meanwhile, mystery still shrouds the Pune and Kalina FSL reports which stated that the samples of the total 112kg suspected contraband seized from Kalokhe was not mephedrone. Dissatisfied with the FSL reports, the Satara police and crime branch sent fresh samples to the Central FSL in Hyderabad. The report is expected by June 15. Reacting to Monday's TOI report `Forensic twist in drug bust case: Test results find samples not meow meow', several senior police officers said that the development has come as a major embarrassment for the force as five policemen have been arrested and Kalokhe dismissed. Joint commissioner of police (crime) Atul Kulkarni said, “As the FSL report turned up negative, we sought permission from the court to collect fresh samples and send them to the CFSL.“ A few senior police officers raised doubts on the FSL reports, stating that “someone at the labs might have manipulated with the samples“.

Jun 08 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) STAIN 0N KHAKI - Forensic twist in drug bust case: Test results find samples not meow meow  Ahmed Ali  Mumbai    Satara And City Cops Send Part Of 112kg Seizure To Central FSL With the results of the samples tested by the Pune and Mumbai forensic science laboratories (FSL) turning out to be negative for mephedrone (MD) or meow meow, questions are being raised into the probes against dismissed head constable Dharma Kalokhe of the Marine Drive police station and drug queen Shashikala Patankar alias Baby Patankar.On March 9, the Satara police raided Kalokhe's house there and seized 100kg of what they suspected was MD. The very next day , the Mumbai police searched Kalokhe's cupboard at the Marine Drive police and seized 12kg of suspected MD, foreign currency and liquor bottles. Sources said the Pune and Kalina FSLs sent separate reports to the Satara police and the city crime branch respectively stating that the samples were not MD. Dissatisfied with the reports, the Satara police and crime branch have approached the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Hyderabad with fresh samples of the two seizures. “On Friday , the Kalina FSL sent a report stating that the sample was not MD; it appears to be ajinomoto. We suspect there could have been an error while sending the sample or someone might have played mischief. Hence, we have collected fresh samples and sent them to the CFSL,“ said a se nior police officer. The report is expected by June 15. Satara SP Vinod Deshmu kh said, “It is a sensitive case. I can't reveal the outcome of the forensic report, but yes, fresh samples have been sent to the CSFL for more accuracy .“ If the CFSL report con firms the results of the two re ports, the police could be in for a major embarrassment as sev en cops were arrested in the al leged cop-drug peddler nexus. “The physical components of MD and ajinomoto are almost similar and often drug peddlers adulterate the drug with ajinomoto to increase its quantity. It is possible that the 112kg seized from Kalokhe may have been adulterated with ajinomoto and hence, the FSL reports were doubtful. The CSFL will be able to give an authentic report,“ said an official. Sahayak, a socio-legal and educational forum, has also raised doubts over the authenticity of the two FSL reports. Interestingly , the city police does not have any apparatus to check if a drug seized at a crime scene is MD or not. Eyebrows were also raised as both the seizures in Kalokhe's case were made just a fortnight after the government brought MD under the ambit of the NDPS Act. “From the two FSL reports and other investigations, it appears that Patankar had played a ploy to frame Kalokhe with whom she had an illicit relationship, ego issues and monetary disputes. If the CFSL report also concludes that the sample is not MD, then all the arrested cops, including Kalokhe and senior inspector Suhash Gokhale, are innocent,“ said a senior police officer. An assistant police inspector and two constables attached to the Mira Road police station have been charged with kidnapping and extorting money from a Bhayander-based businessman Bhavarsingh Rao in February this year.He complained that he had been kept in the police lockup and was tortured. The Navghar police in Bhayander (east) on Saturday registered a kidnapping for ransom case (Section 364 (A) of the IPC) against API Praful Wagh and the two constables, following orders from the Thane sessions court.   

Jun 03 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Borivli police inspector, who stalked rape victim, suspended  Ahmed Ali  Mumbai:    A Borivli police inspector, accused of stalking a rape victim and passing lewd comments, who was a major embarrassment for the force, was suspended on Saturday .TOI had reported the plight of the victim `Cop probing rape complaint stalked her, woman tells police' on May 22.Inspector Anil Avadh, investigating the rape case, allegedly visited her place to “carry out investigations“ and passed lewd comments about her Tshirt and appearance. The woman got furious as earlier too, during the panchnama, he had passed comments about her undergarments. “I immediately wrote to police commissioner Rakesh Maria. It was very embarrassing and humiliating when inspector Anil Avadh commented on the size of my underwear. Later, I found, that a woman should have been assigned this work,“ the victim said. Avadh had told TOI that he may file a defamation case against her. “I was made to sit at the police station on two consecutive days. The FIR was registered only on the second day at 12.30am, despite SC guidelines that women should not be detained at a police station after dusk,“ the woman told TOI. Senior officials said fresh allegations about Avadh had come as a major embarrassment at a time when cops were facing serious ch arges of kidnapping, molestation, extor tion and drug trafficking. Immediately after the woman complained, Avadh was transferred to the western region control room and a probe was initiated. Patankar case The city crime branch, probing drug queen Shashikala alias Baby Patankar, is now relying on call detail reports of her, Dharamraj Kalokhe and all five policemen, including senior inspector (anti-narcotics cell) Suhash Gokhale. The policemen were suspended on Tuesday after their arrest. The police are also probing the disappearance of 5060 kg of Mephedrone from Patankar's bungalow. The crime branch had arrested Suhash Gokhale (senior inspector, Azad Maidan, ANC), assistant inspector Gautam Gaikwad (Nashik), assistant subinspector Jyotiram Mane (crime branch), inspector Sudhakar Sarang and head constable Yashwant Parthe (Azad Maidan, ANC). --S Ahmed Ali   

 

  Jun 02 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) `Drug queen wanted to quit trade, cop told her to flee'  Ahmed Ali@timesgroup co  Mumbai TNN    Drug queen Shashikala, alias Baby Patankar, wanted to quit the trade and was keen on joining vipassana meditation, but a few policemen, including dismissed Marine Drive head constable Dharma Kalokhe, did not want that. This has emerged from Patankar's interrogation.A source said Patankar has told the police she was in a relationship with Kalokhe. But recently he started abusing and beating her. She wanted to join a vipassana centre at Igatpuri and so approached assistant inspector Gautam Gaikwad (Nashik police), who taught there. Patankar knew him as he was the investigating officer in the case of Patankar's sisterin-law's alleged dowry death. Gaikwad was among five policemen arrested on Friday for being part of Patankar's drug ring. The cops included senior inspector Suhash Gokhale and head constable Yash want Parthe of the anti-narcotics cell (ANC). “Gaikwad told Parthe, who told Gokhale that Patankar wanted to surrender.But instead of making her surrender, Gokhale told Patankar to switch off her cellphone and flee,“ said a crime branch officer on Monday . Gokhale's version is that when Patankar approached him with information that Kalokhe had stored 100 kg of mephedrone, or meow-meow, in his Satara home, he passed on the information to deputy commissioner Namedeo Chavan of the ANC and told him he was working on it. But the crime branch says Gokhale informed Chavan four days after the Satara po lice raided Kalokhe's home and seized the stored drug. Questions are being raised in police circles on the roles of Gokhale and Gaikwad: wheth er they were arrested for dere liction of duty or for involve ment in crime. An officer said “The Supreme Court, acquit ting former police commis sioner R S Sharma in the fake stamp paper case, stated tha the police should not arres any officer because of derelic tion of duty . They can simply take departmental action.“ Saamna bats for arrested policemen The Shiv Sena has expressed strong doubts over the recent arrest of senior inspector Suhas Gokhale of the anti-narcotics cell.Saamna on Sunday quoted Gokhale's son Saket as alleging that his father was falsely implicated. The Sena mouthpiece said that rattled by Gokhale's anti-drugs crusade, “the drug mafia may have given supari (contract) to another officer to implicate Gokhale“. Saamna's implication seems to be directed at alliance partner BJP; the home portfolio is with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.   

Jun 02 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Navi Mumbai police chief quits post  Times News Network  Mumbai:    Navi Mumbai police commissioner K L Prasad quit for personal reasons on Monday . An IPS officer of the 1982 batch, Prasad was to retire in May next year.Additional chief secretary (home) K P Bakshi confirmed to TOI that Prasad has put in his papers. “Prasad has sought voluntary retirement from the IPS on personal grounds. We will process his application as per rules,'' Bakshi said on Monday . One of the most honest and distinguished IPS officers, prior to his posting in Navi Mumbai, Prasad was commissioner, state intelligence department. As joint commissioner (law & order) in Mumbai, Prasad shot into the limelight when he took on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray . While Prasad did not respond to a text message from TOI, a high-ranking IPS officer said he was unhappy over the recent reshuffle.“Prasad was disturbed over the manner in which he was superseded. Officers junior to him were considered for key assignments, while he was ignored. In fact, he was planning to quit immediately, but he delayed his decision,'' the IPS officer said. Prasad was ex pecting to be consid ered as Thane police commissioner in view of his seniori ty, but the home de partment appointed Parambir Singh. A senior bureau crat said appoint ments of police commissioners were not made on the basis of seniority but was the prerogative of the chief minister. Prasad is the third IPS to quit in the recent past. Additional DG P K Jain quit a week before retirement.Now he has been appointed as a member of the state police complaints authority.Satyapal Singh quit as police commissioner and is now a Lok Sabha member of the Bharatiya Janata Party .

Jun 02 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Cops seek advice on trying Aruna assailant for murder  Ahmed Ali  Mumbai:    JJ Dean Lahane Seeks 42 Years' Jail For Walmiki The police have sought legal opinion to know whether murder charges can be pressed against So hanlal Walmi ki, who had sexually as saulted KEM nurse Aruna Shanbaug in 1973 and left her in a permanent vegetative state. Shanbaug died in the Parel hospital on May 18 after a cardio-respiratory arrest.“We have sought legal opinion on whether there is any scope to register or invoke IPC [section] 302 on Walmiki,“ joint commissioner of police (law and order) Deven Bharti said. Walmiki, who had been living in oblivion all these years, was recently traced to his village in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh by a Marathi news daily . He lives with his wife and children and works as a labourer to make ends meet. On Monday , dean of JJ Hospital Dr TP Lahane, while launching a Marathi biography on Shanbaug, Vyatha Arunachi (Aruna's Agony), written by journalist Neha Purav, urged that Walmiki should get 42 years. “Aruna endured pain for 42 years but Sohanlal was in jail only for seven years. If there is any provision in law, he should be given equal punishment,“ he said. KEM Hospital nurses observed Shanbaug's 68th birthday with a condolence meet on Monday . Matron Arundhati Vellhal said that they cut a cake and placed flowers in Shanbaug's room. Dean Dr Avinash Supe said that the room outside ward no. 4 that had been home to her for over four decades would be named after her. He said it would soon be thrown open for patient care.

Jun 16 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Court allows family of victim to oppose drunk lawyer's bail  Swati Deshpande & Ahmed Ali Mumbai:  TNN    Corporate lawyer Janhavi Gadkar's bail hear ng in the drunk driving case was pushed to Wednesday af er a lawyer engaged by a vic im's family intervened to oppose the relief. The court also sought her medical report from prison by that day .Janhavi is charged with slamming her Audi SUV into a taxi, killing driver Sayyed Hussain, 57, and Salim Sabuwala, 50, while speeding aga nst the traffic. Her blood alcohol content was several times over the legal limit, said a preliminary report. Janhavi, lodged in Bycul a jail till June 26, was not present in court. When her case was taken up around 3.30pm on Monday , Shubada Khot, a lawyer hired by the Sabuwalas, applied to be heard as intervenor and opposed the bail plea. Janhavi's awyer Mahesh Sabnis resis ed Khot's move but was overruled by the magistrate. He later agreed for Wednesday as Janhavi's medical reports would be in. An intervention plea is not uncommon and a lawyer for a victim can assist the public prosecutor with the court's permission. The Sabuwalas made it clear they did not doubt the police or prosecu tor, but wanted their lawyer to act as a force multiplier to strengthen the case. The police also opposed the bail plea, claiming Janhavi could tamper with evidence and influence witnesses, and added that it cannot be ruled out that she would not commit a similar offence again if released. They also noted that bail must be denied since the trial will go to a sessions court. Janhavi's bail plea filed by lawyer on record Mustafa Kaachwala said her offence “cannot be elevated to that of culpable homicide not amounting to murder'', an offence that attracts up to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for committing an act with “knowledge'' that it would cause someone's death. An “overzealous police“ applied the section “mechanically'', and at best the offence attributable to Janhavi could be that of rash and negligent driving which is punishable with two years in jail. “The facts were blown out of proportion in the complaint,“ her bail plea says, recounting briefly the police case of her ramming into a taxi carrying a family of five returning after a celebratory dinner in Bhiwandi. The defence argued that ingredients of “having knowledge'' to make out a culpable homicide case are lacking.Since the police have invoked provisions against drunk and rash driving, the graver section of culpable homicide was not necessary , it argued. Jahnavi's mother Sudha, a former legal manager at BEST, and Janhavi's estranged husband, Rahul Sarela, also a lawyer, were present in court, as were relatives and friends of the Sabuwalas. The watching lawyer for RIL, where Janhavi works as vice-president (legal), was also there. When Sabnis challenged Khot's right to intervene, she quoted two judgments--one by the Supreme Court and one by the Bombay high court (both mentioned by TOI in its Sunday edition) -which gave victims in criminal cases a right to be heard with the permission of the court in certain cases. The Bombay HC had said in a case that “even when an application for anticipatory bail is considered, the police may not place all factual details before the court as investigation in most of such cases is at a preliminary stage. Therefore, some role can be played by the complainant by pointing out factual aspects“. The SC had said “the role of a private person who is aggrieved by an offence is not altogether wiped out...'' in a criminal prosecution, read out Khot. Sabnis said these judgments would not apply to Janhavi's case since it was in a preliminary stage and not at trial, with no chargesheet filed yet. But magistrate Richa Khedekar allowed the intervention plea. Khot's senior Niteen Pradhan will appear on Wednesday . Khedekar also allowed Sabnis' plea that Janhavi's medical records be sought by the court. Sabnis submitted that Janhavi ought to be taken to JJ hospital or some other government hospital for a proper check-up, including an X-ray as her left fractured hand is still in pain and she must receive proper treatment in time. A team of private doctors that Janhavi's family has spoken to has advised that proper medical assessment is essential to prevent any permanent deformity or incorrect healing of the hand, he added. Tracking lawyer, intervenor add to courtroom drama Janhavi Gadkar's case is notable for the sheer number of lawyers involved in it, reports Swati Deshpande. Reliance Industries, the company where she works, has deployed a watching counsel. The young lawyer was seen on Monday standing right behind Janhavi's counsel Mahesh Sabnis as he argued against an intervention by the victims. Niteen Pradhan and his team have been employed by the Sabuwala family to oppose her bail plea. Subhada Khot appeared for them on Monday. Also in court on Monday was MLA and advocate Waris Pathan with his two armed securitymen. He is pushing for the case to be fast-tracked and is watching the case independently on behalf of the victims. Cops keep building pile of evidence Byculla MLA Waris Pathan on Monday met police commissioner Rakesh Maria, pleading for the Janhavi Gadkar drunk driving case to be put in a fast-track court and appointment of a special public prosecutor, reports S Ahmed Ali.In an attempt to build a water-tight case, the police are awaiting a joint report from RTO officials and Audi experts, giving the cause of the accident and clarifying whether the vehicles were in fit condition. Cops are trying to pre-empt a defence bid to blame technical snag for the accident.“The RTO and Audi experts have carried out joint surveys and are analysing the accident. It appears both vehicles were new; the Audi had undergone only its first service. The report, expected in a day or two, will help us,“ said a police official.The cops are also waiting to record the statement of a couple who saw Janhavi near Shivaji Chowk circle in Chembur where she apparently got confused and drove back on to the Eastern Freeway. This theory about how she landed on the wrong lane says she crossed the Panjarpol tunnel and realized she was driving back to south Mumbai. She took an illegal U-turn and rammed into the taxi. They have sought a date from a magistrate to record the statements of eight witnesses, including the Reliance CFO with whom Janhavi went to a pub on Monday night.   

Jun 15 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Cops verifying if Janhavi hit pedestrian in Colaba  Ahmed Ali    Corporate Lawyer's Bail Hearing Today. Police Have Blood Report, Bar Bills, CCTV Footage, Witness Statements The police on Monday will oppose the bail application of Janhavi Gadkar, focusing on nailing “her lies“. Police inquiries with the staff at the Kalaghoda bar that was visited by the Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) corporate legal executive with RIL CFO Alok Agarwal have revealed that she drank beer thrice, 300ml each time, while Agarwal drank 330ml. Irish House staff also told the police that the duo used to visit at least once a fortnight. Also, there are unconfirmed reports that a fortnight before the freeway accident, Janhavi's car hit a pedestrian outside the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Colaba. Senior police officers said they were verifying the matter.A drunk Janhavi, driving on the wrong side of the Eastern Freeway in the early hours of Tuesday , hit a taxi headlong, killing the driver and a passenger, and injuring three more. DCP (zone 6) Sangramsingh Nishandar, who is supervising the investigations, has prepared a list for the prosecution's argument in the sessions court on Monday . Janhavi is likely to put a battery of lawyers to seek bail and possibly challenge the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder (IPC section 302-II). Byculla MLA Waris Pathan has taken an interest in the case. He said he will oppose the bail plea. The victims, the Sabuwala family of Nagpada, are from his constituency . Noman Sabuwala (16), who escaped unhurt in the accident, said, “We will strongly oppose her bail on the grounds that despite being an advocate, knowing well that drinking and driving may cost somebody's life, she went from bar to bar, drinking, and then drove, killing my father and the taxi driver.“ Janhavi had initially told the police that after drinking at Marine Plaza, she spent two hours on Marine Drive. Cops found this out as a lie as she went to Irish House as well. She said she drank two small pegs of whisky at Marine Plaza, but her bill revealed she drank six small pegs. The police later recorded Agarwal's statement. They also have CCTV footage and bills. The police are also likely to present the incident of Janhavi knocking down two bike-borne BARC security guards in Govandi, three days before the Freeway accident. Janhavi took the two to Shatabdi hospital, and the matter was not reported. A doctor recognized her when she was taken there after the Freeway accident. Police commissioner Rakesh Maria said the government is likely to fast-track the case and appoint special public prosecutor to make it a watertight matter.   

Jun 15 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Kalina FSL says fresh samples are meow meow  Ahmed Ali  Mumbai:    Central Forensic Lab Refuses To Test 100Kg Seized By Satara Cops In yet another twist to the suspected mephedrone seizure from constable Dharma Kalokhe's home in Satara, an analysis of fresh samples sent to Kalina forensic science laboratory (FSL) has confirmed it was the drug.In May , the Pune FSL report had concluded that the sample sent by the Satara police was not mephedrone, also known as meow meow or MD. “This means that someone had either played mischief while sending the earlier sample or had tampered with the evidence. The police and FSL should jointly conduct an inquiry into the matter,“ said a senior IPS officer. On March 9, the Satara police raided Kalokhe's house and seized 100kg of suspected mephedrone. The next day , the Mumbai police found 12kg more in his cupboard at Marine Drive police station. During probe, it transpired that Kalokhe was working for drug queen Baby Patankar, who too is behind bars. After the Pune FSL reports found no mephedrone in the sample, the Satara police sent fresh samples of the 100kg seizure to the Central FSL in Hyderabad believing that someone might have played a mischief.TOI had reported this last week. But the Central FSL refused to conduct tests on the fresh samples on jurisdiction grounds. It asked the cops to seek directions for fresh tests from the Bombay high court.The Satara police then sent the fresh samples to the Kalina FSL, whose results tested positive for mephedrone. The city crime branch has already approached the HC seeking directions for fresh tests by Central FSL on the 12kg seizure. The matter is likely to be heard on Thursday . “The Central FSL refused to entertain the Maharashtra police as they were aware that the FSL report had ruled out the presence of MD and, in fact, said it was ajinomoto. The Central FSL does not want to be dragged into any controversy and hence, is trying to avoid the two agencies,“ claimed an official from the Kalina FSL.

Jun 12 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai)
Drunk lawyer got confused near home, started on the wrong way from Chembur
Ahmed Ali
Mumbai:


On the night of her drunken rampage, corporate lawyer Janhavi Gadkar did not get on the wrong lane of the Eastern Freeway from P D'Mello Road itself, believe the police.
Spurred by accounts of two witnesses, the RCF police, investigating the case, are on the verge of concluding that a sozzled Janhavi drove down the length of the Freeway from south Mumbai down the cor ect carriageway , exited at Chembur but got confused at he seven-point Shivaji Chowk circle near her house and drove back up on the southbound carriageway . After crossing the Panjarpol tunnel, he realized she was going the wrong way and took an illegal and extremely dangerous U urn on that carriageway and tarted driving north towards Chembur against the traffic.She scraped two Swifts and col ided with the taxi, killing two persons. The police are studying CCTV footage from four cameras -two at P D'Mello Road, and one each at Shivaji Chowk and Panjarpol naka -to finalize the route Janhavi took.“Scanning each CCTV footage is taking six to eight hours. We will soon come out with a clearer picture on her route,“ said a police officer.

Till that moment they are not ruling out the other two theories: driving over 11km down the wrong lane of Freeway from south Mumbai itself after partying with colleagues in south Mumbai pubs and the Wadala muddle.

Sources said the Wadala theory is that Janhavi drove till Bhakti Park, Wadala, down the north-bound lane of the Freeway , but got off the road via the RCF exit. She then took a U-turn below the road and drove back on the south-bound carriageway . Realising she was going back towards south Mumbai, she took a U-turn and started driving against the traffic, leading to the collision.





Jun 12 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Alcohol in lawyer's blood 4 times legal limit  Ahmed Ali  Mumbai   Jahnavi Gadkar Also Visited A Pub After Drinking In A Hotel The alcohol content in the blood of corporate lawyer Janhavi Gadkar was four times the legal limit. Gadkar is accused of colliding with a taxi while driving drunk and killing two persons and injuring four others early on Tuesday .A Forensic Science Laboratory report says the blood alcohol content (BAC) in the sample of Janhavi's blood is 120mg per 100ml. The legal limit of blood alcohol concentration is 0.03% or 30mg per 100ml of blood. Actor Salman Khan's BAC after his car ran over one person in 2002 was 62mg100ml of blood. The report came even as it emerged that the 35-year-old visited a pub in south Mumbai on Monday night after leaving a hotel on Marine Drive following drinks with two colleagues. The BAC report--a preliminary one issued on a priority basis on Thursday evening on police request--corroborates the bill she paid in Hotel Marine Plaza for six pegs of whisky . In her statement, Janhavi, V-P (legal) with RIL, had claimed she drank only two pegs. With sources saying she was spotted with a senior RIL executive at the Irish House pub in Kala Ghoda after leaving Marine Plaza on Monday , the police approached the pub and found CCTV footage showing Janhavi entering the establishment. “We have got CCTV footage where Jan havi is seen entering the pub.We are trying to find out whether she had a few pegs there too,“ said an officer. A drunk Janhavi drove on the wrong lane of the Eastern Freeway on Tuesday and scraped two cars before colliding with a taxi, killing driver Hussein Sayyed, 57, and Haji Salim Sabuwala, 50. The wife and children of Sabuwala, returning after celebrating his son's success in the SSC exam, were injured. The Sabuwalas are planning to employ a lawyer to oppose bail for Janhavi as she is produced in court on Friday and will push for the trial to be fast-tracked. Janhavi, who is in police custody , has been booked for drunk driving and culpable homicide not amounting to murder that carries a maximum jail term of 10 years. Following TOI's June 11 report that Janhavi had knocked down two bikers in Govandi last week, RCF police recorded the statement of staffers of Shatabdi hospital where she was recognized by a doctor. RCF police have annexed the documents in this case to corroborate that she was a habitual offender. The police have collected important evidence like CCTV footage showing her at the eateries and the bill for six pegs of whisky paid by her debit card at Marine Plaza. They are working on building a water-tight case after their experience in the Salman Khan case. “We are also planning to propose to run the case before a fast track court with a special public prosecutor,“ said Sangramsingh Nishandar, deputy commissioner of police (zone VI). Cops have recorded the statements of all eight witnesses, including the steward, cashier and manager of Marine Plaza, Janhavi's colleagues Rahul Dutta and Shailendra Rane, who were with her at Marine Plaza, and two motorists, Hussain Khan and Thapar. The cops have sought permission and a date from the Kurla metropolitan magistrate to record their statements before a magistrate to prevent retraction in future. On Thursday , Janhavi was taken to Sion hospital after there was swelling in her injured left hand. She was treated for bone dislocation and discharged. She will be produced before the Kurla court on Friday for further remand. The police could seek additional custody on the grounds that investigation is on and more witnesses are being examined after the revelation of an earlier accident and that she visited another pub in south Mumbai on Monday night before the accident. Also, in a serious case like fatalities resulting from drunken driving, bail is often not granted till the chargesheet is filed. Actor Salman Khan, also charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, was granted bail in 2002 after 18 days in custody when the police filed the chargesheet. Janhavi has complained that her purse with Rs 9,000 and debit and credit cards have gone missing. (With inputs from Swati Deshpande)

Jun 11 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Drunk lawyer may have knocked down 2 guards on a bike last wk  Ahmed Ali & Swati Deshpande Mumbai TNN   Doc `Recognizes' Gadkar As Being Involved In Govandi Mishap RIL Exec Remanded In 2 More Days Of Police Custody As Sleuths Build Case & Victims' Families Try To Cope With Loss & Injuries  High-flying corporate lawyer Janhavi Gadkar, arrested on charges of killing two persons while driving drunk on Tuesday , had knocked down two BARC security guards on a motorbike in Govandi just days ago, said police sources.The guards sustained minor injuries and all three landed up in the nearby Shatabdi hospital early on Saturday .When police took Janhavi to the same hospital on Wednesday for a medical check-up, a doctor recognized the petite 35-year-old as the “same woman'' who was brought in last Saturday . Earlier on Wednesday , Janhavi, vice-president (legal) at Reliance Industries, appeared in a Kurla court with her left hand in a cast. The magistrate extended her police custody till Friday , accepting the plea that the police needed “to verify where and whether she purchased more liquor before the crash“. The RCF police are still awaiting the Forensic Science Laboratory report about the alcohol content in the blood of lawyer Janhavi Gadkar but the probe team claimed important evidence: a Hotel Marine Plaza bill (receipt) of Rs 4,500 for six pegs of whisky . Besides, it has collected CCTV footage showing Janhavi and her two colleagues entering the hotel on Monday . Janhavi, driving back home early on Tuesday after drinking, sped over 11km down the wrong lane of the Eastern Freeway in her red Audi Q3 SUV , scraped two cars before colliding with a taxi and killing the driver and a passenger. Early on Wednesday , the police recreated and video-recorded the sequence of events on the Freeway . Around 1am, the team started from the Masjid bunder end with the two witnesses whose cars had been scraped. They identified the accident spots. Haji Salim Sabuwalla, 50, a soap trader in Null Bazaar who was returning home with his family after celebrating his son's success in the SSC examination at a Bhiwandi dhaba, and taxi driver Hussain Sayyed, 57, were killed after a collision with Janhavi's Audi just south of the Panjarpol tunnel. Janhavi has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, an offence that can put her to prison for 10 years. Sabuwalla's wife, who underwent surgery for multiple fractures, hasn't been informed about her husband's death. Her two daughters too are in hospital. Sources said 16-year-old Noman, released after first aid, is in trauma and feels guilty for his father's death. Sayyed was buried on Wednesday after his daughter, married and settled in London, arrived in the city. At 1.30pm on Wednesday , in aKurla court room, the slim, 5fttall Janhavi was brought in barefoot by two women constables.Dressed in a cotton salwar kameez with its blue-and-pink dupatta covering her head, she was sobbing into a kerchief as husband Rahul Sarela, also a awyer, comforted her. Janhavi who married Sarela, 42, in 2002 has been staying separately sin ce 2010 as they do not get along. Public prosecutor Prahlad Mahajan sought additional po ice remand from metropolitan magistrate Richa Khedekar, say ng a day's remand following her arrest was “insufficient since most of it went in her treat ment“. A watching lawyer for RIL was present, said sources. Janhavi's lawyer sought ju dicial custody , saying custodia interrogation was not necessa ry anymore and that she was in need of “urgent medical treat ment... (for) multiple fractures and suspected internal injuri es“. Judicial custody would ha ve enabled him to apply for bail. After she returned to police custody , it emerged that Janha vi, at the wheel of the red Audi, had hit a bike carrying guard Sharad Medekar and his colleague near the BARC colony late on Friday . “After Friday's incident was brought to our notice, we found that Janhavi had accidentally hit the bikers and herself took the guards to the hospital. No major injuries were found. The victims complained of damage to their bike and they settled the case,“ said a police officer on condition of anonymity . DCP (zone VI) Sangramsingh Nishandkar said: “It was a minor incident and it appears she helped the victims by taking them to hospital and giving them treatment. As the injuries were minor, the Govandi police did not bring this on record.“ But another opinion was doing the rounds in the local police circle. “If the police had booked her and carried out a blood test on Friday itself, perhaps the fresh incident could have been prevented,“ said one official. Janhavi's colleagues who partied with her have been summoned. They could face a rough time as senior police officials believe it was their responsibility to drop her home as she was inebriated. “Her colleagues should have realized she was not in control and called a driver or dropped her home,“ said one.   

Jun 10 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Drunk woman lawyer rams Audi into cab on Eastern Freeway, kills 2  Ahmed Ali  Mumbai:    `Drunk Driver Wanted To Hush Up Matter By Paying Off Victims'  An Audi driven at speed on the wrong side by a drunk woman hit a taxi headlong on the Eastern Freeway in the early hours of Tuesday .So severe was the impact that the fire brigade had to be called to cut through mangled steel to pull out the taxi's driver. He and his front seat passenger didn't survive. His three back seat passengers are in hospital with fractures and other injuries.The woman, Janhavi Ajit Gadkar (35), works in the legal cell of a top corporation at Nariman Point. The deceased are taxi driver Hussain Sayyed (57) and soap trader Haji Salim Sabuwala (50). The injured are Sabuwala's wife Hafeeza (45), daughter Sabiya (22) and son Noman (18). An RTO officer who examined the accident site and the vehicles involved said that looking at the impact, it seemed that both vehicles were at high speed, with the Audi clocking at least 120kmph. He said Janhavi escaped injuries or death because of her car's airbags. Around 7pm on Monday , Janhavi left her office with two colleagues for Hotel Marine Plaza, where she drank whisky . They parted three hours later, but Janhavi spent time in her Audi Q3 on Marine Drive till around 12.30am. After parting with her colleagues on Marine Drive, Janhavi Gadkar, who works for a top conglomerate at Nariman Point, started driving towards her Chembur flat, which is in an upmarket building near RK Studios. A lit in an upmarket building near RK Studios. A little after 12.30am on Tuesday, she took P D'Mello Road and then the Eastern Freeway , driving on the wrong side. Half a kilometre before Panjarpol tunnel, near Shivaji Nagar Masjid, she grazed two cars before colliding with the taxi carrying the Sabuwala family . The accident occurred between 1.10 and 1.20am. The Sabuwalas, who live in Null Bazar, Nagpada, were returning from an eatery in Bhiwandi, where they had gone to celebrate son Noman's success in the SSC exams. An eyewitness of the accident, who gave his name as Hassan, said, “I was returning with my family when the incident occurred. I immediately got hold of the woman and called the RCF police. Passers-by removed the injured taxi passengers and took them to Sion hospital.We also called the fire brigade to free the driver.Janhavi tried to hush up the matter by offering payment to the victims on the spot and telling us not to call the police.“ Dilip Raut of the RCF police said Janhavi was so drunk that she could barely stand. “We immediately sent her for medical tests. The reports are awaited.“ Janhavi has been arrested under several sections of the IPC and the Motor Vehicle Act, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash driving. If convicted, she may get a maximum of ten years of rigorous imprisonment. She has been remanded in police custody till Wednesday . Assistant commissioner of police Jeevaji Jadhav said, “The road was almost empty . Janhavi, driving under the influence of alcohol, did not realize her direction was wrong. She entered the Freeway on the wrong side at its mouth at Masjid Bunder.“ Joint commissioner of police (law and order) Deven Bharti said the police have strong evidence and witnesses to prove the case against Janhavi. Cops beat up cameraman Much drama took place outside the RCF police station when journalists were stopped by cops from photographing Janhavi Gadkar.Photographer Amay Kharad was beaten up. He suffered injuries on the head and his camera worth Rs 4 lakh was damaged. “Police commissioner Rakesh Maria has ordered cops to respect media-persons. Yet, the RCF police manhandled us,“ said Kharad.