However, last month, police arrested a close aide of Lalit, Subhash Mandal, from the vicinity of the hospital for supplying a consignment of mephedrone (1.71kg) with a market value of around Rs 2.15 crore. After Mandal was arrested, police learnt that Patil was operating his drug business from the hospital. On October 2, Patil escaped from Sassoon Hospital. Soon after this, a political slugfest began amid allegations that two ministers from the Eknath Shinde government had helped Patil flee.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare pointed fingers at ministers Dadaji Bhuse and Shambhuraj Desai. She demanded the narco analysis tests of both ministers along with Lalit Patil and that the case be transferred to central agencies. “Lalit Patil alone cannot run the whole business. The mastermind is behind him. He can’t do all this without the help of these ministers,” she said.
Andhare later alleged that more ministers were involved in the case and that she would reveal their names soon. Further, she demanded the scrutiny of the call date records (CDR) of Bhuse, which, she alleged, would help gather more evidence against him about how well he was connected with Lalit Patil. The BJP has claimed that Patil was not only a member of the Shiv Sena, before the split, but was also made its Nashik City president.
Andhare said, “It was Dada Bhuse who brought Lalit Patil to Matoshree (residence of Uddhav Thackeray), then how can he deny that he doesn’t know?” She further criticised deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP who were taking credit for nabbing Patil. Andhare said that in such a case, the home minister of the state should also be held responsible for Patil’s escape.
After Lalit Patil fled from the Pune hospital, his photos with Uddhav Thackeray went viral on social media. Last week, while speaking with the media, Fadnavis alleged that after Patil was arrested in 2020, he was receiving preferential treatment. He was not even interrogated once after his arrest, claimed the BJP leader.
“Lalit Patil was arrested on December 10-11, 2020. Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister when he was arrested. When he was held, PCR (police custody) was sought. The PCR was of 14 days but Patil was immediately admitted to Sassoon Hospital,” Fadnavis said. “There was no effort from the police to file an application in court (over the fact) that he was not interrogated or that his illness was not true. Why was he not questioned? Who is responsible, the then chief minister (Thackeray) or home minister (Anil Deshmukh)?”
Patil escaping from Sassoon Hospital had given an opportunity to Shiv Sena UBT and other political parties in the opposition to target Devendra Fadnavis, who is in charge of the home department. When Patil was being brought to Mumbai from Bengaluru where he was arrested, he spoke to some media channels and alleged that he was made to run by a few and would soon reveal their names.
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