More than 18 Goan clubs, restaurants on the radar of Hyderabad Narco cops: Owners could be arrested anytime?

PANAJI: As per the latest information and updates, more than 18 Goan clubs, nightclubs, restaurants and permanent shacks both in North and South Goa are supposedly on the radar of the crack team of the Hyderabad police Narcotics cell. While nearly about 90 per cent of the “suspicious places” fall in North Goa, the rest are in the South.

On Wednesday, the Hyderabad cops with the help of Goa police arrested John Stephen D’Souza aka Steve D’souza aka Steve, the owner of HillTop, a popular restaurant and club at Vagator and one more person in a drug-related case. ALSO READ: After HillTop Steve’s arrest, four more Goan restaurant/club owners could be arrested soon

Several names have cropped up after the police arrested Goan peddler Pritesh Narayan Borkar who began singing like a canary once the Hyderabad cops got his custody.

The owner of the Curlies restaurant Edwin Nunes is also wanted by the Hyderabad police in a drug-related case having CR No 374/2022 at the Osmania University Police Station, Hyderabad City, Telangana State and has approached the courts for anticipatory bail. ALSO READ: Vagator club Hill Top owner Steve D’souza arrested by Hyderabad cops in drug case

D’souza was produced before the JMFC Mapusa, but he reported sick during medical examination and was admitted to the district hospital for treatment. His transit bail application is kept for hearing for today. We will update this post as information is available. ALSO READ: Drug peddler Pritesh Narayan Borkar reveals names of 25 Goan restaurant, clubs owners to Hyderabad police where drugs allegedly sold

The special anti-drug enforcement cell of the Hyderabad narco police known as the Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) and the Narcotics Investigation Supervision Wing (NISW) of the Hyderabad city police – that works directly under the supervision of the Hyderabad Police commissioner is looking into allegations of drug supply and trade – in some cases by the management and staff and in others by peddlers who frequent these joints – at several high-profile restaurants, nightclubs, shacks and restaurants in Goa. ALSO READ: Hyd cops name Goan clubs Curlies and HillTop owners Edwin Nunes, Steve D’souza as “drug suppliers” 

Several peddlers and even drug users who have been nabbed by the H-NEW and the Hyderabad police anti-narcotics cell over the last six to eight months have in their confessional statements mentioned the names of the restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and shacks where they purchased drugs and these places are being closely watched by the Telangana police. ALSO READ: Hyd court rejects anticipatory bail application of Curlies restaurant owner Edwin Nunes, could be arrested anytime

Most of the information was apparently given by Goan drug peddler Pritesh Narayan Borkar who under sustained interrogation cracked up and revealed the names of several restaurant, shack and nightclub owners in Goa.  ALSO READ: Sonali Phogat urinated in her underwear due to overdose, herself ordered drugs worth Rs 12,000 

In fact the crack Narco teams have sent dummy tourists (cops in disguise of tourists) over the last two months to these venues to engage with the peddlers and identify and record their activities and some more arrests could be made in the coming months as more evidence becomes available. ALSO READ: Sonali Phogat herself ordered and paid for the drugs, she wanted a “big high”, alleges PA

While the High courts and the Supreme Court of India have time and again ruled that confessions made under Section 67 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) are not admissible as evidence during trial, NDPS enforcement officials in various states as well as those with the NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) still use such confessions and statements by arrested accused as grounds to detain other accused named by those arrested. ALSO READ: Sonali Phogat was addicted to drugs, family did not know, blamed me, alleges PA

While names of several Goan restaurant and nightclubs owners under the scanner are doing the rounds on social media as well as our sources have mentioned some names, we have refrained from publishing them in order to ensure that the ongoing investigation by the Hyderabad police is not hampered.