Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from West Bengal, Rakesh Singh, was sent to police custody till 1 March by a criminal court in Kolkata, in the Pamela Goswami drug case. Singh was arrested from Bengal's Burdwan on Tuesday, 23 February in connection with the case.
Singh's two sons, who were also arrested on Tuesday for obstructing police work, were granted interim bail by the court against a personal bond of Rs 5,000.
While Singh was arrested in Galsi in the Purba Burdwan district of Bengal, his two sons were picked up from his residence in Kolkata.
Goswami, a BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM) office bearer in Bengal, was arrested in Kolkata on 19 February, allegedly in possession of 100 gm of cocaine in her car.
Goswami claimed that Singh, close to BJP's national secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, had conspired against her.
Rakesh Singh Evades Police All Day
The Kolkata Police reached the residence of Rakesh Singh in Kolkata at 3pm on 23 February after the Calcutta High Court quashed his plea to suspend police operations against him.
"The police is doing its job by the law," said the court.
Drama ensued thereafter as members of Singh’s family, especially his elder son, blocked the police from entering his residence. CISF personnel, deployed by the central government for Singh’s protection, were also present on the spot.
The police claim that Singh's family and his son were obstructing their work and thereafter detained both his sons. They were taken to the Kolkata Police Headquarters in Lalbazar.
Police sources also claim that when Singh was contacted over phone, he said that he was not at home and had to fly to Delhi on Tuesday evening.
Singh was, however, tracked down in Galsi, Burdwan, based on the location of his mobile. The Kolkata Police took his custody in Burdwan.
His sons were also officially arrested thereafter in Kolkata.
Pamela's Allegation And Rakesh's Response
“I want a CID investigation. BJP’s Rakesh Singh, aide of Kailash Vijayvargiya, should be arrested. This is his conspiracy," Goswami had said on 20 February, while being taken to police lock-up after being presented at a Kolkata court.
Along with Pamela, her friend and BJP worker, Prabir Kumar Dey and her guard, Somnath Chatterjee, were also arrested.
“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,” Singh had then said, responding to Pamela’s allegations.
"A few days ago, she (Pamela) complained to the police against leaders such as Bharati Ghosh and Swapan Dasgupta, on Facebook too. Even her father has filed a complaint against her,” he had said.
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