'Ideal' Mumbai police cop always courted controversies

Though considered among the best officers from the anti-narcotics cell of the Mumbai police, police inspector Anil Jadhav was under the radar of central intelligence agencies for his dubious ways of dealing with the drug syndicate.

According to a source in the police department, twice in the recent past, central intelligence agencies had learned about his closeness with drug peddlers. They informed the higher authorities in the police department, but no action was taken against him.

Jadhav’s arrest is expected to create trouble for a former deputy commissioner of police, whom he is close to. Among Jadhav's many career highs was the raid at Bombay 72 degrees East at Juhu in October 2008. Based on information reportedly gathered by Jadhav, the police raided the pub, detained 239 youths and seized LSD and hashish among other drugs. Jadhav also reportedly exposed the racket of drugs being smuggled into prisons in tiffins.

Investigators suspect that the drugs seized during Sunday's rave party at the Khalapur hotel could have been supplied by Jadhav, who might have supplied drugs intercepted during earlier raids but not showed on records. “Every angle is being investigated,” said RD Shinde, superintendent of police.

The police are also checking if Sunday's rave party was organised for informers, because among those detained include two actors' children, a politician's son and a few police informers. A 1990 batch officer, Jadhav always had a strong network of informers.

While Jadhav's lawyer Navin Chomal claimed that his client is innocent and had gone to the rave party to verify a tip-off given by his source, Sunil Ghule. But Ghule is one of the major drug suppliers in Pune, said the police, who suspect that Jadhav was one of the organisers of the rave party.

A few months ago, Jadhav's wife had claimed that he had tried to kill her with his pistol, but after investigation, the police dismissed the allegation.