Mumbai: It took the work of a 40-member team to arrest Republic TV’s Editor-In-Chief Arnab Goswami in the 2018 abetment to suicide case. The state home department led by NCP’s Anil Deshmukh drafted the high-level team led by Kokan range Inspector General Sanjay Mohite to arrest the journalist, Times Of India (TOI) reported.
The ‘arrest Arnab’ required a lot of planning and secrecy. The planning began a few day after Raigad Police secured permission to reopen the probe into the alleged suicides of architect Anway Naik and his mother Kumud in 2018, TOI reported.
Mohite drafted the plan to arrest Arnab while the responsibility to execute it was entrusted to high-profile encounter specialist Sachin Vaze. “For the team led by Mohite, it was a challenging task in view of the powerful Arnab. We acted very carefully, every member of the team observed restraint despite provocation,” a senior cabinet member was quoted as telling TOI.
According to the member, after the preliminary probe, it was confirmed that Arnab was involved in the alleged abetment to suicide case.
“Our people made several rounds of the building where Arnab was residing. It was a secret operation. We were fearing that if the information is leaked, Arnab may flee the city to avoid arrest,’’ he told TOI.
Arnab was arrested in the early hours on Wednesday to ensure he was at home. “It was a planned operation, even small issues were taken care of. It was decided who will knock at the door, who will talk to Arnab and his family members and what the course of action would be if he resists. Arnab did resist. However, after Vaze explained to him the legal position if he failed to join the investigation, it was a smooth affair,’’ he told TOI.
