The Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Mumbai zonal director, Amit Ghawate, has been booked in connection with the suicide of Gurunath Chichkar, a Navi Mumbai-based builder and father of a key drug syndicate accused deported from Malaysia last year, officials confirmed on Saturday.
Following a directive from the court, Ghawate, a 2008-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, has been charged under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including abetment to suicide, criminal conspiracy, and extortion, a senior police official told PTI.
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Gurunath Chichkar had allegedly ended his life at his office on April 25, 2025, by shooting himself with a pistol. According to the police, the suicide note recovered from the scene suggested he was deeply distressed by repeated harassment from NCB officials, who were pursuing his son, Naveen Chichkar, in connection with a sprawling international drug syndicate.
“At the time, the death was initially treated as accidental. Subsequent investigations revealed the involvement of Amit Ghawate, prompting legal action against him,” a police official said.
Naveen Chichkar, aged 35, was arrested after being deported from Malaysia in June last year. He has been described by the NCB as the kingpin of a transnational drug network operating across multiple countries. Naveen is currently facing multiple cases registered by the anti-narcotics agency. His younger brother, Dheeraj Chichkar, was also arrested later in connection with the syndicate.
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The NCB had been actively investigating the syndicate's operations abroad and in India, and its actions had reportedly included repeated summons and questioning of family members, which, according to the suicide note, caused significant mental anguish to Gurunath Chichkar.
The Mumbai police have confirmed that the case remains under active investigation, and further action will be taken in accordance with court directives.
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