Kolkata Police sources, according to PTI, have claimed that the BJP youth wing leader Pamela Goswami’s father said that Pamela became a drug addict under the influence of a friend. Kaushik Goswami had also, according to PTI, asked the Police to ‘keep a watch’ on Pamela’s friend Prabeer Kumar Dey.
Prabeer Kumar Dey was arrested along with Pamela on Friday, 19 February.
According to PTI, Kolkata Police has said that Kaushik Goswami had written a letter to the City Police Chief alleging that Prabeer had turned Pamela into a drug addict. The Police had also reportedly cited Kaushik as saying that Prabeeer had not kept his promise to divorce his wife and marry Pamela.
A police officer, on the condition of anonymity, told PTI:
“We were keeping an eye on both of them and gathered information about their involvement in drug trafficking. We are questioning them and are trying to find out who all are involved and whether they have links to inter-state or international drug rackets.”
PTI quoted sources in the Police, saying that Pamela Goswami and Prabeer Kumar Dey had been living together for sometime.
Pamela Blames Kailash Vijayvargiya’s Aide
Pamela Goswami, who was produced in Alipore Court, had said that BJP’s Rakesh Singh, aide of Kailash Vijayvargiya, should be arrested.
“I want a CID investigation. BJP’s Rakesh Singh, aide of Kailash Vijayvargiya, should be arrested. This is his conspiracy,” Pamela Goswami said while being escorted to a police lock-up from the court.
Responding to the allegations, Singh said, as quoted by India Today, "It is very easy to make a complaint but it is difficult to prove it. She [Pamela] will be able to tell why she took my name. All I can say is that it is a conspiracy to discredit me. I don't trust in this kind of dirty politics.”
According to PTI, Singh had also alleged that Goswami had been “brainwashed” by Kolkata Police, and said:
"If I am involved, they can call me or Kailash Vijayvargiya or Amit Shah. I think the Police have brainwashed her. I am not in touch with Pamela for more than one-and-a half-years now.”
Meanwhile, PTI quoted sources in West Bengal BJP, saying that Goswami was likely to be suspended from the party. A senior BJP leader also told PTI:
"Most likely the party will take some disciplinary action against her till she is proven innocent. This incident is damaging the party's reputation.”
‘No Gentleman Associated With BJP’: TMC Hits Out
Meanwhile, TMC has lashed out at BJP amid the slew of illegal activities that the latter has allegedly been embroiled in.
TMC secretary-general and state minister Partha Chatterjee, according to PTI, said:
“Earlier, one of their leaders was arrested for involvement in child trafficking. Now another has been arrested in a drugs case. This proves what the BJP and its leaders are up to.”
Previously, the CID had reportedly unearthed a child trafficking racket in which children were sold, some to foreigners, in illegal adoption deals. The CID had questioned BJP Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly in connection with the case and had arrested the party's women cell general secretary Juhi Chowdhuri.
Firhad Hakim, a minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, according to PTI said:
“No gentleman is associated with a party like the BJP. Only criminals, drug addicts, and peddlers are associated with a corrupt party like the BJP.”
Background
Pamela Goswami, her friend Prabir Kumar Dey, and her private guard Somnath Chatterjee were arrested from a car by the Kolkata Police in the city’s Alipore area, reported The Telegraph.
Sources in the police tell The Quint that cops were following Goswami’s car for some time and tracked her this time, too.
On searching her bags, they allegedly found 100 gm of cocaine.”
“She was involved in drug trafficking for quite some time. Today, we got information that she, along with her supplier Prabir, were reaching the spot to hand over the drugs to the purchasers,” said a police officer, reported news agency PTI.
(With inputs from PTI, India Today and The Telegraph.)
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