More than two months after drug haul accused Lalit Patil escaped from Sassoon General Hospital, only to be rearrested within a fortnight, the police have uncovered a nexus between police and prison officials, hospital ward boys and peons – all helping those involved in the drug cartel.
The investigation and 15 arrests made so far expose an operation allegedly orchestrated by Patil and his accomplices within the confines of the state-run hospital and Yerawada Central Jail, raising serious concerns about the vulnerability of these crucial institutions, senior police officials said.
Ramnath Pokle, additional commissioner of police (crime), said, “All the arrested accused were part of a plan orchestrated by Patil and his accomplices to help him escape from Sassoon hospital on October 2 after his cartel was busted by the police. A detailed interrogation will help find everyone’s role in the cartel.”
The probe into Patil’s alleged cartel began following intelligence and tips from informers suggesting illicit drug activities within the state-run Sassoon General Hospital premises. Acting on a tip-off, a team of anti-narcotics cell laid a trap to arrest Subhash Mandal and hospital canteen staffer Rauf Sheikh from the gate of the hospital for carrying mephedrone (MD) worth ₹2.14 crore. The probe revealed undertrial prisoner Patil running a drug cartel from ward number 16 of the hospital.
While police were gathering details to take over custody of Patil in the MD case, on October 2, he managed to give a slip to the police from the hospital premises. Subsequent investigations led police to arrest his accomplices.
On Monday night, crime branch unit 2 made its 15th arrest of Dr Pravin Dadasaheb Deokate (40), a medical officer (MO) at Sassoon Hospital.
Deokate, according to the police officials, allowed Patil an extended stay at Sassoon, and was also in touch with the accomplices of the undertrial prisoner.
Patil was referred to Sassoon Hospital for tuberculosis and hernia treatment in June 2023. According to Yerawada Central Jail administration, Patil was kept at the prison’s TB ward. However, his health complaints kept mounting and he was referred to Sassoon General Hospital as per requirement.
“Shifting to the hospital is done as per the advice of the doctor, and the jail administration does not have much to do in the case,” said a Yerawada jail official.
According to the officials, it was the duty of Yerawada Central Prison chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Sanjay Kashinath Marsale (53) to offer initial necessary medical treatment to prisoners. Dr Marsale allegedly referred Patil to Sassoon hospital and came in contact with the drug cartel, including Bhooshan Patil, Abhishekh Balkawade and others.
Marsale was arrested by the police on December 4.
Yerawada prison counsellor Sudhakar Ingale (44) was arrested on November 29 after probe revealed Balkawade allegedly transferred money into the bank account of Ingale’s relative in order to refer Patil to Sassoon Hospital.
Though Patil was referred to the hospital for tuberculosis and hernia, he was admitted under orthopaedic surgeon Dr Pravin Deokate for almost for two months.
Meanwhile, when Sassoon Hospital administration was not ready to discharge Patil, the prison officials wrote four letters to the hospital requesting his release, but only one letter received a response.
A senior Yerawada prison official on condition of anonymity said, “We wrote letter to the hospital in June, August and two in September asking the hospital authorities to send Patil back and why it was taking so much time to treat him. They responded to our last letter issued on September 5 stating that ‘he needs to be operated for hernia and require more time for operation and post-operative care’.”
At the Sassoon Hospital, Patil met with fellow prisoner Vinay Aranha, his driver Dattaryaya Doke, Natharam Kale, Amit Jadhav, Mois Shaikh police staffer deputed at ward number 16 at Sassoon Hospital, and Mahendra Shevate deputed as ward boy.
Police arrested Doke when Patil was on the run. Shevate was arrested on November 27 while Kale, Jadhav, both police staff, and prison department staffer Shaikh were apprehended for providing mobile call facility to Patil and dereliction of duty. Shevate was found responsible for making available luxury facilities to Patil in his ward.
Other police staff deputed at the hospital also allegedly offered help to Patil in his escape plan.
Police alleged that all the arrested accused helped Patil escape from the hospital. In November, an inquiry committee appointed by the Maharashtra government identified “negligence” on the part of Dr Sanjiv Thakur, former dean of BJ Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, along with Dr Deokate. Thakur was removed from his position and Deokate was placed on suspension.
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