PANAJI: Deputy Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch, Mr Chandrakant Salgaonkar on Tuesday refused to declare the alleged drug peddler from Israel, Yaniv Benaim alias Atala as absconder but confirmed that he was not available at the address, which he had furnished to the Court at the time of getting bail.

Addressing media at the Goa Police headquarters, Mr Salgaonkar stated that Atala was released by the Court on conditions and now he has violated the conditions laid down by the Court, so, we have intimated the Court.
On August 9, a team of police personnel from Crime Branch had gone to see Atala at his address - Angels Resorts at Porvorim, but he was not available there, the DySP informed adding he was ordered by the Court to furnish all details of his address if he shifts his residence, but he has not done so.
“He was wanted by the Crime Branch for clarification on something, so we required him to report at Crime Branch,” Mr Salgaonkar  mentioned adding  the Court had laid down four conditions while granting the bail that he should be available for investigating police officer whenever required; he should not visit the coastal belt and in case if he shifts to a new residence, he should furnish the address to the investigating officer, besides he should not leave the country.
“Our team would go to Sweden to interrogate Lucky Farmhouse, who uploaded the video clips on U-tube on the police-drug peddler nexus,” he informed.
Atala was arrested along with six police personnel. All of them have been released on bail.
“We are in e-mail contact with the girlfriend of the drug peddler, Lucky Farmhouse from Sweden and she was about to visit the state in this regard in August, but till date she has not shown her face to us,’’ Mr Salgaonkar informed.
Meanwhile, the Home Minister, Mr Ravi Naik late on Tuesday evening said that the police would probe the disappearance of Israeli drug lord Yaniv Benaim alias Atala and track him down.
Mr Naik told ‘The Navhind Times’ that he would ask the police to investigate the matter and take help of other agencies, if necessary, to locate the drug dealer, who was recently released by a court on bail.