Cops seek retesting of drug seized from constable's locker

Mumbai police have sought permission from a special NDPS court to retest the samples of the alleged mephedrone drug seized from a police constable's locker at a police station in Mumbai in March this year as the first test proved negative.
The Forensic Science Laboratories in Kalina and Pune had earlier sent reports to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch and the Satara police, respectively, stating that the substance seized from police constable Dharmaraj Kalokhe had tested negative for mephedrone and was monosodium glutamate (MSG), commonly known as ajinomoto.
"The test report received from the forensic laboratory in Mumbai is not favourable to the prosecution's case, hence the sample needs to be retested", the police said in their application submitted to the court recently.

In the application, police have said that in order to determine the exact nature of the seized contraband, the samples need to be retested in the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL).
The court is likely to pass an order in this regard on June 18.
Kalokhe, who was posted at Marine Drive police station, was arrested on March 9 after 110 kg of mephedrone drug, the market value of which runs into "crores of rupees", was seized from his residence in a village under Khandala taluka in Satara district.

The next day, 12 kg of mephedrone, was seized from Kalokhe's locked cupboard at the Marine Drive police station here, along with Rs 30,000 cash.

After a thorough interrogation by Satara police, Kalokhe was sent in judicial custody there.
Kalokhe had been booked under relevant sections of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Meanwhile, Satish, son of drug peddler Shashikala alias Baby Patankar, was today granted bail by the special court.