International drug racket case: Court rejects Mamta Kulkarni’s plea to de-freeze her bank accounts

Thane: Special court here has rejected the application of former actress Mamta Kulkarni for de-freezing her six bank accounts and three FDs as well as the release of the two Andheri flats sealed in the Rs 2,000 cr drug bust case, said an order copy released on Tuesday.

Rajesh S Gupta, the Additional Sessions Judge, who is also the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, Judge gave the order last week.

In the application, Mamta submitted that she has been falsely implicated in the case and is the only bread earner of the family and one of her sisters is suffering from a mental ailment and under medical treatment at a centre in Panvel for the past eight years.

Elaborating further, she told that freezing of the accounts has hampered the medical treatment of her and the patient also needs to be kept in a sound and clean environment.

Hence, the flats should be resealed for the stay of her sister, Mamta pleaded.

Contending the request, the special public prosecutor pointed out that the accused was already charge-sheeted in the case registered on April 12, 2016.

Since that time, the fugitive actress is not only living in Kenya but also an active member of a crime syndicate asserted the prosecution.

It argued that the coercive measures, including the freezing of accounts, were taken only after all the legal pleas to appear before court fell on Mamta’s deaf ear.

If the application of the accused is accepted then she will never come fore even after committing a heinous and serious crime, it underscored.

After hearing both sides, Judge Gupta remarked, “The accused has not turned up before the Court nor appeared before investigating agency. Hence, in the said facts and circumstances, I do not find any substance to de­freeze the bank account and de­seal the flats as prayed.”

On April 14 of 2016, Thane Crime Branch seized over 20 tonnes of ephedrine and 2.5 tons of acetic anhydride from a pharmaceutical factory, Avon Life Sciences in Solapur, and other locations in Thane and Ahmedabad.

Further probe revealed the involvement of Mamta, her husband and their collusion with the Kenyan-based international drug mafia. (UNI)