‘Saji stole 100 kg drugs from NCB’

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: Anti-terrorism squad sources on Wednesday told TOI that Saji Mohan, the IPS officer currently in custody on charges of dealing in narcotics, stole about 100 kg of heroin from the seized stock of the Chandigarh Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) during his tenure as its zonal director.

Saji, 39, was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS in January, barely two weeks after he took charge as deputy director at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi. The ATS arrested him from a club in Oshiwara, claiming to have recovered 12 kg heroin from him. During the probe, cops said they have collectively seized 39 kg heroin in Mumbai belonging to Saji.

“The Chandigarh NCB has registered a fresh case of stealing narcotics from government premises. NCB officials have estimated that about 100 kg of drugs was stolen,’’ said an officer from Mumbai.

The drugs, said sources, were kept in the NCB godown. The drugs were seized by the Border Security Force (BSF) as unclaimed material and later deposited with the NCB. Saji was in charge of the godown.

The Chandigarh NCB has registered a fresh case this week against Saji and booked him under the stringent Section 59 (2) of the NDPS Act, which provides for a minimum 10 years and a maximum 20 years in jail. This section was not invoked on Saji by the ATS. The section relates to the “failure of authorised officers in their duty or their connivance in contravention of the provisions of the NDPS Act’’.

Saji is the first IPS officer to be arrested in a drugs case. The ATS has filed a 400-page chargesheet against Saji and his two associates.

The Times of India, May 28, 2009

Drugs case: ATS submits chargesheet

C Unnikrishnan & Vijay V Singh I TNN
Mumbai: The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday submitted its chargesheet against IPS officer Saji Mohan, who was arrested this January allegedly with 12 kg of heroin. The chargesheet, however, is silent on a stringent Section of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which attracts a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years.

The maximum punishment, instead, for the offences that Mohan has been booked under is 10 years and 20 years only in the case of repeat offenders (this is the first drug-related case against Mohan).

The chargesheet also named two accomplices, businessman Vicky Oberoi and suspended Haryana police constable Rajesh Kumar, for possession of drugs and conspiring to sell it.

Mohan was arrested on January 24 from Oshiwara and the ATS claimed to have recovered 12 kg of heroin from him. Mohan had just got transferred to the Enforcement Directorate, Kochi, as the deputy director at that time.

ATS officials said his interrogation led to the recovery of a further 21 kg heroin from Oberoi’s Vasai residence.

Section 59 (2) of the NDPS Act, which provides for a minimum 10 years and a maximum 20 years in jail, relates to the “failure of authorised officers in their duty or their connivance in contravention of the provisions of the NDPS Act’’. “Saji Mohan was a police officer and, heading the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) at the time of the conspiracy, was liable to be booked under that section,’’ IPS officer-turned-lawyer Y P Singh said.

But ATS chief K P Raghuvanshi justified the decision. “To invoke this particular section, we need permission from the central government. Our case was restricted to possession, sale and
transportation of drugs and, at the time of his arrest, he was not performing any official duty,’’ he explained.

A former NCB official, however, contradicted this. “Mohan still continues to be an enforcement officer. In this case, he was returning from Delhi where he attended an official training on his new responsibilities in the Enforcement Directorate. The ATS explanation is absurd,’’ he said.

The ATS arrested Oberoi and Kumar in Mumbai on January 17 and seized 1.8 kg of heroin from them. “Mohan was clueless about their arrest. He kept on speaking to them though the duo was in our custody. We had taken permission and recorded these conversations that proved Mohan’s role in the drug trade. This is a crucial piece of evidence,’’ an ATS official said.

But the ATS is still clueless about the origin of the heroin seized. “Mohan has not been cooperating with us. He keeps changing his statements. He had told us that he stole it while he was posted at the NCB,’’ the official added. But, during interrogation by NCB deputy director-general Om Prakash, Mohan reportedly said the drugs were stolen during his Chandigarh tenure.

Mohan’s lawyer, K Balakrishnan, asked for an English translation of the chargesheet on Tuesday. The court asked him to submit a written plea.

The Times of India, May 13, 2009

Chargesheet against Saji likely this week

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is likely to submit the chargesheet against Saji Mohan (37), an IPS officer of 1995 batch, for alleged drug trafficking this week. The police claimed that Saji had accepted a consignment of 12 kg heroin from a person at Mumbai Central railway station on January 24 and took it to Classique club in Oshiwara from where he was arrested.

According to the police, Saji, who was in Delhi for training after his posting with Enforcement Directorate, came to Mumbai on January 23. He was earlier posted with Chandigarh Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

The ATS had intercepted a phone conversation between Saji and co-accused, city-based businessman Vicky Oberoi and constable Rajesh Kumar of Haryana police. Cops also traced the SMSes exchanged among them.

Saji is accused of delivering commercial quantities of heroin worth over Rs 12 crore in the international market and collecting payment for selling an earlier consignment in Mumbai. “Saji, during his stint as zonal director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Chandigarh and Jammu & Kashmir, had stolen over 50 kg of heroin in all from NCB’s seizure. To avoid suspicion, Saji would replace the stolen amounts of heroin with soda lime. He would set aside some quantity of the seized drug and later sell it,’’ said an officer.

At the time of his arrest, Saji was entitled to a salary of Rs 71,000 per month. He had also earned Rs 30 lakh by illegally releasing people caught in connection with narcotics cases in Jammu and Chandigarh.

Saji headed anti-drug trafficking activities over a swathe of northwest India for about two years when he was posted as the zonal director of the NCB in Chandigarh from 2006-08. Moreover, he had been conferred a bravery award in 1999.

In January, the ATS had also arrested Oberoi, a local fish vendor, and Kumar from Mumbai and seized 1.8 kg heroin. Later, the police also recovered 25 kg of heroin from Oberoi’s residence, which Saji had given him to sell in the open market for Rs 5 lakh per kg. Saji is facing another case of embezzlement of Rs 13 lakh in Chandigargh. He has been booked under sections 8(1)(c) and 21 of the NDPS Act.

The Times of India, May 4, 2009

‘Saji asked for stationery to pen thoughts’

(Deputy director of Enforcement Directorate Saji Mohan was arrested in a drug case)

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: IPS officer Saji Mohan, who is in police custody for allegedly dealing in drugs, resembles the lead character in Robin S Sharma’s book, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, except that the protagonist in the book is a workaholic who lost the good years of his life in the rat race for material success.

The police deemed it appropriate to present this book to Saji when he requested for some reading material. The book is food for thought for those who are hungry for oriental wisdom.

Saji requested the police to provide him with books and papers to pen down his thoughts. “He puts up a brave face. We don’t know if it’s for real, though,’’ an officer said.

Meanwhile, the ATS, which is investigating the case, is yet to tie up the loose ends. “We are ascertaining how the drugs were supplied to him. We were told by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) that Saji was suspected to have kept a part of seized drugs while he was posted as zonal director NCB Chandigarh. However, he mixed limestone with the seized material to balance out the total amount. However, we have not bought this theory completely,’’ a senior police officer said.

Additional commissioner of police Param Bir Singh said, “We are probing his links with the drug mafia in the city and if Saji was part of a drug syndicate.’’ It is learnt that Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at Kochi sealed his cabin and have drawn up a panchnama of the seized material. Saji had taken charge as deputy director of ED on January 9.

NCB superintendent Balwinder Singh, who is being questioned by the ATS, is likely to be arrested in Chandigarh under the NDPS Act. NCB is also investigating theft of drugs from its office. The economic offences wing (EOW) of the Chandigarh police will seek the custody of Saji on February 7. EOW is investigating misappropriation of NCB’s funds by Saji.

Saji was arrested for possessing 12 kg of heroin on January 24. His associates—Haryana constable Rajesh Kumar and Mumbai-based agent Vicky Oberoi—were in police custody when Saji was caught.

The Times of India, February 5, 2009

Saji got Rs 30L for releasing drug accused

(IPS officer Saji Mohan being taken to the court)

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: Arrested IPS officer Saji Mohan is learnt to have told the police that he has earned Rs 30 lakh by releasing people caught in connection with narcotics cases in Jammu and Chandigarh.

Mohan, arrested late last month, faces several charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The police have so far recovered 38.8 kg of heroin allegedly procured by him to sell in the market.

Mohan is suspected to have stolen 50 kg of heroin from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Chandigarh during his tenure as zonal director.

A senior ATS official said Mohan revealed that he earned Rs 30 lakh by releasing people caught with drugs in Chandigarh and other places in north India. “We will send the report to the Chandigarh NCB. Several people from Mohan’s department have come and questioned him as well,’’ the official added.

The ATS has obtained Mohan’s laptop and is busy retrieving details of his three mobile cards. “We have recorded his conversation about pushing drugs and selling it in the market while he was talking to another accused, Vicky Oberoi,’’ said the officer.

Oberoi told the police that he knew several Bollywood personalities. However, their link, if any, had not yet been established in the case.

There were rumours about Mohan telling the police that he gave money to get a posting in the Enforcement Directorate (ED). However, ATS additional commissioner Param Bir Singh said, “He has not told us any such thing. We are focusing on only the drug case.’’

A senior ED official said, “It is unlikely considering that the Kochi deputy director’s post is not a sought-after one.’’

Sources indicated that the Chandigarh NCB superintendent, Balwinder Singh, who was being questioned by the ATS, could be questioned by the Chandigarh police in connection with a Rs 13-lakh embezzlement case. The money was to be deposited in a government account, but Mohan put it in his personal account.

Rajesh Kumar, a Haryana constable and another accused, was reinstated after Mohan intervened in his case. Kumar was suspended following a corruption case. The ATS has got a list of 19 people and is verifying their roles.

The Times of India, February 3, 2009

‘Saji promised to resign from force if let off’

IPS Officer Still Under Scanner; Relief For Pune Resident

C Unnikrishnan & Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: IPS officer Saji Mohan, taken by surprise to see a police team waiting at Classique Club on the night of January 24, promised to resign from the force if allowed to go. Saji asked the officers to take into consideration the bad name his arrest would bring to the IPS fraternity and the trauma his family would have to face, a source said.

Saji, who is in custody of the ATS for drug trafficking, was asked by his accomplice, Vicky Oberoi, to come to a location to collect his share of money for a deal. Saji came to Mumbai from New Delhi after attending a weeklong training associated with his new posting of deputy director, enforcement directorate, Kochi.

A senior police officer said Oberoi was to find a buyer for the 40 kg pure heroin Saji had brought by train last year. Saji demanded that he be paid Rs 5.5 lakh per kg and Oberoi could keep the extra amount. It is believed that Saji, during his tenure at Narcotics Control Bureau, Chandigarh, sold 20 kg heroin and made Rs 20 lakh. “Saji hoped to make over Rs 2 crore from the Mumbai deal,’’ an ATS official said.

Though Oberoi and a Haryana constable were arrested on January 17, Saji who was undergoing a training programme at CBI, Gaziabad, did not know about it. “Saji, following his new posting in Kerala, had taken a new mobile number. When Oberoi disclosed Saji’s role, we asked Oberoi to speak to Saji. We recorded the conversation where Saji spoke about the deal. There are several text messages as well,” the officer said.

Saji had p u s h e d Oberoi into the drug trade last year. “Saji met drug dealers including the J&K-based Naseeb Chand at his official residence in Chandigarh. Saji had also released two drug peddlers in Chandigarh after he was paid Rs 7 lakh,’’ the officer added.

The Times of India, February 1, 2009

Saji in cop custody for 7 more days

LEGAL TANGLE: (From left) Saji Mohan’s father Varghese Yohannan (blue shirt), brother-in-law Sajoy (in purple) and cousin Tinu Philip (in spectacles) at a city court on Friday. (Right) Saji's co-accused Vicky Oberoi is being escorted by the policemen

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials on Friday claimed that IPS officer Saji Mohan had given 10 kg of heroin to a Jammu-based agent in mid-2008 to sell it but the latter vanished with the contraband and never returned.

Mohan, it was learnt, had issued a “supari” to track down the agent and recover the heroin or the money.

The officer, who was arrested a few days ago on charges of dealing in drugs, was remanded to further seven days in police custody by the Mazgaon magistrate’s court on Friday. The court also sent two other accused—police constable Rajesh Kumar and alleged drug trader Vicky Oberoi—to judicial custody. The duo was arrested on January 17 in possession of heroin and it was their interrogation that led to Mohan’s arrest.

A senior officer in the ATS said, “Mohan had been keeping a part of the seized heroin aside and this 10 kg was part of such a seizure. He knew the Jammu-based agent, Naseeb Chand, and asked him if he could sell it. Chand promised to sell it and give money to Mohan but he vanished with the heroin, which was worth Rs 10 crore in the international market,’’ said an officer.

Mohan, a deputy director with the Enforcement Directorate in Kerala, belongs to the Jammu & Kashmir cadre.

The police have found at least two persons in Mumbai who could be used as witnesses in this case. “Saji’s co-accused, Vicky Oberoi, had contacted a drug dealer in Mahim—and another near Milan subway—and given them heroin samples to check and buy. However, the two agents refused to purchase (the same),’’ said ATS additional commissioner Param Bir Singh.

A case of misappropriation of funds had been registered in Chandigarh against Mohan for stealing Rs 13 lakh from police custody.

The police said Saji, during his tenure as zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau in Chandigarh, had arrested a drug peddler called Raju. Based on Raju’s statement, Mohan sent a report to the Chandigarh police stating that six cops were part of Raju’s network.

Subsequently, the police personnel were suspended. Also, Mohan had not informed his senior officers about his report against the six policemen, who were close to a deputy superintendent in Chandigarh. A “negative report about them” was compiled by Mohan at the behest of another deputy superintendent of police and a journalist. It was learnt that Saji was monitoring the phone calls of some policemen in Chandigarh.

At the court, Mohan’s father Varghese Yohannan hugged him and broke down on meeting the officer. The two of them talked for several minutes before Mohan was whisked away by the waiting ATS investigators.

Mohan, it was learnt, told his father during the interaction at the court that he knew Oberoi and Kumar but denied any wrongdoing.

The ATS is questioning superintendent of police Balwinder Singh, who was flown in from Chandigarh.
(Inputs from Kartikeya)

First babu to be booked under PMLA?
Arrested IPS officer Saji Mohan may become the first bureaucrat to be tried under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Ironically, Mohan, who was last posted in Kochi as deputy director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), will be tried by his own organisation for money laundering and drug trafficking when a case under the PMLA is registered. Sources in ED said the agency would soon initiate preliminary inquiries against the officer and gather details of all his wealth. Though there is a provision of attachment of properties and assets of an accused under the NDPS Act, the agency will have difficulties doing the same under PMLA till a chargesheet is filed by the Maharashtra police. A senior official said the government has already approved the required amendments to register a case under PMLA against an accused at the stage of an FIR, but as this has not yet been notified, the agency will have to wait till the first chargesheet in the case is filed by the ATS. TNN

The Times of India, January 31, 2009

Saji linked to int’l drug mafia: ATS

Chandigarh NCB Official Likely To Be Held

Mateen Hafeez & S Ahmed Ali I TNN
Mumbai: The ATS, which is investigating the drug trafficking case involving IPS officer Saji Mohan, has claimed to have found certain information linking him to an international drug mafia.
“We have found some numbers on Saji’s mobile phone indicating that he was in constant touch with some of the suspected drug traffickers. One of them had promised to send him a huge quantity of pure heroin,’’ an ATS official said. The heroin recovered from Saji had Pakistan markings and were of high purity.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Chandigarh Narcotics Control Bureau’s superintendent Balwindar Singh, who was summoned by the ATS, is likely to be arrested. Singh was Saji’s subordinate at Chandigarh NCB before the latter was transferred to the Enforcement Directorate in Kochi.
ATS officials said Saji has claimed that this was his first attempt to sell narcotics substances. Sources said that Saji met arrested accused Vicky Oberoi for the first time during the latter’s second marriage ceremony at Gurgaon in 2007. “They were introduced by a common friend,’’ said an officer. “Saji had been keeping drugs aside after every seizure and it was his idea to sell it. He was over confident that he won’t be caught,’’ said ATS chief K P Raghuvanshi.

According to ATS, Saji discussed the idea of selling drugs with Oberoi. “The latter told Saji that he should transport the drugs as no one would suspect him of being part of the cartel. Oberoi said heroin would fetch a good price in Mumbai,’’ said an officer.

Haryana police constable Rajesh Kumar, another accused in the case, had worked under Saji during the latter’s tenure as zonal director NCB, Chandigarh. “Saji had jurisdiction across three states—Chandigarh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh,’’ the officer added.

The ATS has so far recovered 38.8kg heroin from different places.

The ATS has summoned two police constables—Devendra Pal and Navin Kumar, who were personnel security officers to Saji as part of the investigation.”Saji’s drug network was spread over two states, including Jammu and Kashmir. He had also supplied drugs to some peddlers in other states. We are trying to corroborate his statement and have sent our teams for further verification,’’ said a senior ATS officer.

The ATS has written to three banks to freeze Saji’s accounts and has sought transaction details in the past one year. Meanwhile, Saji will be produced in the Mazagaon court on Friday.

The Times of India, January 30, 2009

NEW YEAR, NEW CAR, BUT WHO PAID?

ATS Believed Saji Bought A Honda Civic On Jan 1 With Rs 13 Lakh That He Stole From The NCB While In Chandigarh

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: IPS officer Saji Mohan who was arrested in Mumbai on January 24 for drug trafficking stole Rs 13 lakh from the office of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Chandigarh last year during his stint as the zonal director, ATS officials claimed. Saji used this money to buy a Honda Civic on January 1. A drug trafficker from Mumbai and a few NCB officials in Chandigarh are also under the police scanner. “During his stint in Chandigarh, Saji had seized the Rs 13 lakh from an accused. He bought a car on January 1 this year,” said ATS additional commissioner, Pram Bir Singh.

Saji’s family members, however, told TOI that he purchased the car with the help of a bank loan, and the vehicle was yet to be delivered.

“A fresh case of theft will be registered with the Chandigarh police, and we will seize the car. So far, it has not been established that he was in touch with the international drug mafia,” said ATS chief additional director-general of police, Krish Pal Raghuvanshi. He added that Saji had amassed around 50kg of heroin. `We are trying to get all the information on his wealth and property. Saji is now saying that he has committed a mistake by indulging in such an act.”
Besides the 12kgs initially found with Saji, the police, on January 25, had seized another haul of 25kg of heroin from a flat in Naigaon in Thane (rural), which was rented by Gaurav Oberoi, whose father Vicky, along with a Haryana police constable Rajesh Kumar, was arrested on January 17. “Saji had brought this 25kg in October last year to the Naigaon flat and told Vicky that it was his luggage to be used in a ‘secret operation’ in Jammu,” said an officer.

In 2004, the crime branch had arrested two Nigerian nationals in a drug case. They told the police that they were to supply the drugs to a person by the name of Vicky. Now, the ATS is trying to establish if this Vicky is the same person they have in custody. The police are currently examining Saji's laptop and CDs, which they said, contained pornographic images of Indian models. “There was an agitation against him in Jammu for his alleged affair with an air-hostess,” said an officer.

The Times of India, January 29, 2009

SAJI STOLE AT LEAST 40KG HEROIN

he IPS Officer Claimed He Got The Contraband From The NCB When It Was Deposited By The Border Security Force

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: According to Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials, IPS officer Saji Mohan, who was arrested for drug trafficking on January 24, has been changing his statement with increasing regularity. From maintaining that the heroin was smuggled into India from Pakistan last year, he modified his statement claiming that the contraband was part of unclaimed drugs deposited by the Border Security Force (BSF) with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). He also said that he that he mixed limestone with pure heroin and sold the contraband at high rates. “He has been changing his statements,’’ said ATS chief K P Raghuvanshi.

Another ATS officer added: “Saji was part of a cross border drug peddling group that smuggled Pakistani-marked heroin into India. At least five more people, including some police personnel, are likely to be arrested in this case.’’

Meanwhile, the ATS on Monday, seized 25kg of heroin from a flat in Nalanda building in Naigaon near Vasai in Thane (rural). The flat, belonging to one Prakash Patil, was rented out to Gaurav Oberoi, son of Vicky Oberoi, who is one of the accused in this case. “Saji had brought this consignment in July last year, and stashed it in Gaurav’s flat,’’ said Raghuvanshi.

An official said: “The consignment, in milk packets, bears markings like B52, 555 and Peerzada-labelled heroin, which indicates that it’s from Pakistan. One kg of such pure white heroin costs anything from Rs 4-7 lakh in the Indian market.’’

Saji, an IPS officer of the 1995 batch, was arrested on January 24 from Classique Club, in Oshiwara. “He came from Delhi where he had undergone a training in Prevention of Money Laundering Act on Sunday, and was staying at the club. When we conducted the first raid, we found 12kg of heroin with him,’’ Raghuvanshi said.

Saji had intended to collect his share of the money from Vicky who had offloaded an earlier consignment comprising 1.8kg of heroin. But Oberoi (56) was arrested on January 17 along with a Haryana police constable, Rajesh Kumar (30). ATS officials claimed that Saji was not aware that Vicky was under arrest, and laid out a trap to nab him. “We asked Vicky to speak to Saji from custody and directed him to travel to Mumbai to collect the money’’ said an official. Police are following all leads, including those that lead to Jammu, where Saji was posted in the initial years of his career. There is a theory that Saji’s team in Chandigarh had seized 52kg heroin 2007, but showed a recovery of 8kg. “Some lower rung policemen could be arrested,’’ a senior officer said.

He has been booked under section 8 (1) (c) and 21 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. If convicted, he faces 10 years to life imprisonment.

INNOCENT OR GUILTY?
The IPS officer has given three different versions to the police till date
January 24: “Heroin was part of a haul in Chandigarh in 2008’’
January 26: “Heroin came from Pakistan via Jammu’’
January 27: “Heroin was deposited to the Narcotics Control Bureau by the Border Security Force as unclaimed contraband’’

WHAT THE LAW SAYS
Enacted in 1985, the stringent Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is the primary weapon in the hands of prosecuting agencies in India
The stringent piece of legislation carries a minimum sentence of 10 years rigorous imprisonment for those caught with a commercial quantity of a banned drug
The sentence can go up to 20 years depending on the discretion of the court
Bail provisions are so strict that it is virtually impossible to get bail under NDPS
The law carries a mandatory death penalty for anyone who is convicted the second time for a narcotics related offence

The Times of India, Janaury 28, 209

IPS officer held with heroin

Cop Was Trying To Sell Drugs Worth Rs 12 Cr In Andheri

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Saturday afternoon arrested Saji Mohan, a senior IPS officer, on charges of drug trafficking when he was caught with 12 kg of heroin at Oshiwara in Andheri. Saji is a deputy director with the Enforcement Directorate in Kerala.

It is the first instance of an IPS officer falling into the drug net, and is deeply ironical as Saji was the man heading anti-drug trafficking activities over a swathe of northwest India for about two years when he was posted as the zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau in Chandigarh from 2006-08. Moreover, he had been conferred a bravery award in 1999.

Saji is accused of delivering 12 kg of heroin, which makes it a commercial quantity under the anti-narcotics law, worth over Rs 12 crore in the international market and collecting payment for selling an earlier consignment in Mumbai.

The 37-year-old IPS officer of the 1995 batch has been sent to police custody till January 30. He has been booked under sections 8(1)(c) and 21 of the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Under the stringent provisions of the law, he is unlikely to receive bail and, if convicted, will be in jail for at least 10 years.

Police said a trap was set for Saji and the ATS team arrested him around 2 pm after assistant inspector Sunil Mane got a tip-off that the officer would be making a delivery at Classique Club near Infiniti Mall. Besides the heroin, a mobile phone, some CDs and a laptop were recovered from him.

“On January 17, our teams arrested two person—Vicky Oberoi, a local fish vendor, and Haryana police constable Rajesh Kumar—in Mumbai and seized 1.8 kg heroin. They told us that a “senior officer’’ had given them the package with an instruction to peddle the drugs. During the probe we found that a police officer was involved,’’ said ATS chief Krish Pal Raghuvanshi.

Saji, who comes from Kochi in Kerala, had joined ED in the state as deputy director only two weeks ago. “He served in the Chandigarh NCB as zonal director during 2006-08. During this period, Saji and his team busted several drug rings. He used to show only a part of the haul as the seizure and, thus, managed to steal about 30-35 kg of heroin. Later, he planned to sell it through a constable and a Mumbai-based agent,’’ said an ATS officer.

The 12 kg of heroin seized in Mumbai is believed to be a part of the haul he had set aside illegally, said the officer.

When Saji Mohan was zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau in Chandigarh, his jurisdiction spread over Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. He is accused of illegally stealing parts of the narcotics haul he made then and trying to peddle them now. The 12 kg of heroin he was held with in Mumbai is believed to be part of the hoard.

“We are trying to establish if he sold the remaining heroin earlier or it has been kept mewhere. We have just got his remand and will try to find out where he hid the heroin after stealing it from the seized consignment in Chandigarh,’’ he added.

At the time of arrest, the senior IPS officer was entitled to a salary of Rs 71,000 per month. He had sought a transfer to the Kerala ED on December 31, 2008. “In most cases, zonal directors’ deputation period of two years is increased. However, he decided to take the transfer (to Kerala). We’ll need to examine why he did that,’’ a senior Chandigarh NCB officer told TOI.

Saji’s arrest has brought the functioning of the Chandigarh NCB under intense scrutiny. Immediately getting down to action, NCB authorities in New Delhi have decided to review cases settled and scrutinise drug seizures made during Saji’s 23-month tenure in the city. Chandigarh’s officiating zonal director Sandeep Mittal, who was in Delhi, has left for the Union Territory.

NCB director-general O P S Malik said: “We want to probe all cases that were cracked by sleuths under the leadership of Saji Mohan.’’

Saji, who did an animal husbandry and veterinary course from Jabalpur University, passed the civil services examination in his second attempt and was selected for the Jammu and Kashmir cadre. He worked in J&K till 2006, serving as the superintendent of police in Doda, before moving to the NCB on deputation.

Speaking to TOI, Saji’s father, Varghese Yohannan, a retired subedar major, said, “I don’t think my son will ever do this. It must have been planted on him. He was returning from Delhi after attending a week-long training on the new Prevention of Money Laundering Act.’’

The ATS is trying to establish if Saji had supplied drugs to rave party organisers or participants in Maharashtra. Asked if he had any “celebrity customers’’ in Mumbai, Raghuvanshi said it was too early to comment.

The Times of India, January 26, 2009