Pune, July 29 (PTI) A court here on Tuesday extended till July 31 the police custody of five men, including the son-in-law of former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse, in the drug party case and remanded two women accused to judicial custody.
The prosecution told the court that Khadse’s son-in-law, Pranjal Khewalkar, and four other male accused are trying to pass the buck on each other during their interrogation for tracing the source of the drugs seized during the party on Sunday.
All the accused, including Khewalkar, Sameer Sayyad, Nikhil Poptani, Sachin Bhombe, Shripad Yadav, Prachi Sharma, and Isha Singh, were produced before the Judicial Magistrate (First Class) A C Bagal.
Khewalkar’s wife and NCP (SP) politician Rohini Khadse arrived in the court wearing a black coat. Her public profile states that she is an advocate.
“The accused are not cooperating in the police investigation, and police need further custody to investigate the source of the contraband,” public prosecutor Amit Yadav told the court.
He said police have identified one Vishal, who prepared the hukka set-up during the party. He needs to be traced.
The prosecution sought judicial custody for two female accused while reserving the right to their police custody.
Advocate Vijay Thombre, representing Khewalkar, argued that police are seeking judicial custody of two women from whose purse the alleged contraband was recovered, but are demanding police custody for his client and the other male accused.
He claimed that Khewalkar was falsely implicated in the case because his wife is raising her voice against alleged honey trap scandal.
Advocates Abid Mulani and Yash Mehta, representing the accused Bhombe and Sayyad, stated that there is no cogent reason that justifies the extension of police custody.
Pune police’s Crime Branch raided a “drug party” at a studio apartment located in the upscale Kharadi area at around 3:30 am on Sunday, leading to the arrest of Khadse’s son-in-law, Pranjal Khewalkar, and six others. Police claimed to have seized cocaine, marijuana, hookah set-ups and bottles of liquor. PTI SPK NSK
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