Israeli drug dealer sought by Goa Police held in Peru

Sunday January 09, 2011 06:43:01 PM, IANS

Panaji: Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benaim alias Atala, against whom an Interpol notice had been issued, has been arrested in Peru and the process to extradite him to India will begin soon, an officer said Sunday.

Atala, a drug dealer who jumped bail and fled from India, was arrested as part of the suspected police-politician-drug mafia nexus in Goa. He was linked to state Home Minister Ravi Naik's son by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Israeli's former girlfriend.

Speaking to IANS, Deputy Inspector General of Police Ravindra Yadav said that the state police were intimated about his arrest Sunday. He was held in Lima in Peru Jan 7.

"Now that he has been arrested, we will start the process for extraditing him," Yadav said.

Atala was arrested in the state in March 11, 2010 after videos showing him boasting of his links to police surfaced on social networking sites.

The incriminating videos posted by his former Swedish girlfriend Lucky Farmhouse, showed Atala dealing with police officers and smoking charas.

Lucky had also claimed that Atala had business links with Naik's son Roy. The BJP accused Naik of derailing the probe because of the suspected involvement of his son.

Seven police officers were arrested for their links to Atala after initial police investigation. Atala mysteriously fled India a few weeks after he was released on bail by a local court.

                                           Home | Top of the Page

Top Stories

Demand for withdrawal of cases against Muslim youth gathers momentum

NGOs and political parties cutting across the party line January 8 joined hands and strengthened  »

Maha Minority Commission recommends withdrawal of cases against Muslim youth

'Withdraw cases against Muslim youth detained in Malegaon blast'

Aseemanand confesses his involvement in 2006 Malegaon blast: Report

A prelude to Malegaon bomb blasts

An Inside Narrative of Nanded Blast

Malegaon Blasts: Partisan approach and biased police

Malegaon 2006 blast witness turns hostile

Was Malegaon Blast really a handiwork of Muslims?

  Most Read

NRIs on electoral rolls soon, single card for diaspora: PM

India will merge the two visa facilitation cards that are issued to people of Indian origin and soon register non-resident Indians in the electoral rolls to help them exercise  »

Telangana protesters lay siege to ministers, MPs' houses

Protests continued in Telangana for the third consecutive day Friday with protesters laying siege to the houses of state ministers, MPs and state legislators of ruling Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to demand their resignations. Leaders and activists of Telangana Rashtra Samiti  »

  News Pick

Homeless man with golden voice becomes new US hero

The US has a new rags-to-riches hero - a homeless man who has been inundated with job offers after a video of him went viral this week. Even by the warp-speed standards of the internet age, the transformation of     »

Modern art in Kashmir reflects contemporary realities

The modern art movement in Jammu and Kashmir is once again on the move after a period of stagnation during the years of insurgency. The new artistic interpretations emerging from the troubled state speak of contemporary social   »

Agatha Sangma, family escape mob fury in riot-hit Assam areas

Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha K. Sangma, her brother and Meghalaya's Leader Of Opposition Conrad K. Sangma and their father and former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A. Sangma Friday had a narrow escape  »

Kerala's 50,000 teachers to get discounted laptops

As many as 50,000 teachers in Kerala will soon be able to buy either a laptop or a netbook computer at a discounted price, according to an official. The scheme has been initiated by IT@School, the technology   »

Sibal says $40 bn spectrum loss estimate 'utterly erroneous'

Communications Minister Kapil Sibal Friday said the methodology adopted by the official auditor was "utterly erroneous" while arriving at the   »