- Two men were arrested in Indore with 11 grams of brown sugar and an SUV seized
- Nana Patwari, brother of Congress chief Jitu Patwari, and another were detained then released
- An FIR under NDPS Act was filed and investigation into technical and financial evidence is ongoing
Indore Police on Thursday arrested two men and seized about 11 grams of brown sugar besides detaining two others including Nana Patwari, the younger brother of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari, in connection with the case.
The Congress leader claimed that it was a false case and accused of the ruling BJP of doing vendetta politics.
After gathering preliminary evidence, the two detained individuals were released late Thursday night after questioning, while the investigation into technical and financial evidence is ongoing, an official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Narendra Rawat told reporters, "The Rajendra Nagar police arrested Irfan Khan alias Golu Chanderi and Sanjay Kaushal alias Ronnie Bhai based on a credible information from an informant. 10.8 grams of brown sugar and a sports utility vehicle (SUV) were recovered from their possession.
He said that an FIR was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in connection with the seizure of the drug.
The DCP said that initial interrogation of the two accused revealed that they were going to deliver the consignment of brown sugar to two individuals, named Nana Patwari alias Kulbhushan Patwari and Manav Gangwani.
He said, "Nana and Gangwani were detained and interrogated. After collecting preliminary evidence regarding their connections with the arrested accused and other leads, they were released and handed over to their lawyer." When asked about Nana Patwari's role in the case, he said that the investigation revealed that an old case under the NDPS Act was registered against him at the Vijay Nagar police station and evidence of his communication with the main accused, Irfan Khan, was found.
The DCP said the police are investigating technical evidence, conversation records, and financial transactions in the case.
He said that Nana Patwari and Gangwani will be called for further questioning if necessary.
Rawat said that the police investigation is ongoing and appropriate legal action will be taken against other individuals based on the facts revealed about the drug network.
He said that Nana Patwari has a total of nine criminal cases registered against him, and information about the criminal history of other individuals is being gathered.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of political vendetta, saying that his younger brother Nana was detained in a false case.
In a statement addressed to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, the state Congress chief said that by detaining his brother without notice, the Indore police have sent a political message that the BJP is now taking "revenge" and that anyone who raises their voice against the government or the CM will be suppressed He said, "I knew that false legal action would certainly be taken against me and my family due to the government's personal malice." Patwari said that Congress would neither be intimidated nor cowed by "legal pressure and influence politics," but would instead fight the battle with even greater vigour.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
