Bengal: BJP youth leader arrested for allegedly carrying 100gm cocaine
What's the story
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth leader - Pamela Goswami - was arrested on Friday evening in Bengal's Kolkata for allegedly carrying 100 grams of cocaine.
The incident reportedly took place in the upscale New Alipore area of the city, where Goswami, 23, was held along with two others - Prabir Kumar Dey, 38, and Somnath Chatterjee, 26.
Here are more details on this.
Details
Cocaine worth Rs. 10 lakh allegedly recovered
Goswami, the General Secretary of Bengal BJP Yuva Morcha, was arrested for the possession of cocaine reportedly worth Rs. 10 lakh in her handbag and other parts of the car she was traveling in.
She and Dey, said to be her colleague in the Yuva Morcha, had driven up to a cafe on NR Avenue when the police swooped down on them.
Details
Goswami's security guard also reported held
Meanwhile, Chatterjee, a security guard assigned to Goswami, has also been arrested as he was also present in the car.
Police sources say Goswami and Dey came under the scanner after they were spotted repeatedly visiting a particular cafe, sitting in the parked car and allegedly transacting with the youth who drove up to their car on motorcycles.
Case
Goswami to be produced in court today
Goswami and her two associates have since been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
The 23-year-old is expected to be produced in Alipore court today, The Telegraph reports.
To note, the punishment for carrying up to 100 grams of cocaine under the said Act can vary from six months to 10 years in prison.
Quote
Goswami involved in drug trafficking for quite some time: Police
"She was involved in drug trafficking for quite some time. Today, we got information that she, along with her supplier Prabir, was reaching the spot to hand over the drugs to the purchasers," a police officer told PTI on Friday.
Defense
BJP leaders term allegations false, cry conspiracy
BJP leader Locket Chatterjee said the allegations are false.
"The police used to frame our leaders with ganja (cannabis) cases. Now they are framing women leaders with cocaine. This is how they want to stop the BJP. This is absolutely a conspiracy against us," Chatterjee was quoted as saying.
"The police is under state control...Anything could have happened," said another BJP leader, Samik Bhattacharya.
Comment
Ashamed that this happened in Bengal, says Trinamool leader
Leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress party, on the other hand, have said the incident exposes the BJP.
"I feel ashamed something like this could happen in Bengal. This is the real picture emerging of (the) BJP in Bengal. Earlier, some BJP leaders were named in a child trafficking case (sic)," Trinamool Congress leader Chandrima Bhattacharya reportedly said.
Goswami
Who is Pamela Goswami?
Goswami is believed to have worked as an air hostess, a model, as well as a TV serial actor before she joined the saffron party in 2019.
She was later chosen as the Yuva Morcha General Secretary and Yuva Morcha observer for Hooghly district.
She rose through the ranks in the past few months becoming a regular in party meetings in Kolkata, reports say.