Goa anti-narcotics cell cop suspended

The anti-narcotics cell of Goa Police is slipping into infamy once again.

Jitendra Kambli, a constable attached to the elite unit, has been suspended for his links to the members of a drug mafia which killed Nigerian national Obado Simeon last month, police said Tuesday.

"Kambli was informing the killers about the movements of the police through cellphone which was incidentally under surveillance," a senior official said.

Superintendent of Police Arvind Gawas said Kambli's suspension was ordered Monday evening after an inquiry.

The murder triggered an angry Nigerian mob to block a major road for hours, resulting in a conflict between them and police and local residents. A subsequent crackdown on Nigerians initiated by the state government has caused a diplomatic tussle for India, with Nigeria threatening to "throw Indians living in Nigeria on the road".

The Nigerian national's murder, police have said, is a result of rivalry between two drug mafias. Two people have been arrested in connection with the homicide.

Seven officials attached to the anti-narcotics cell have already been suspended in the past and are currently being tried for their links to the Israeli drug mafia operating in Goa.

A recent legislative committee probe into the police-politician drug links has indicted several police officers, including the current director general of police as well as a former home minister and his son.