Pune: Drug racket fugitive pays Rs 70,000 daily to stay at Sassoon Hospital

In a shocking revelation, Lalit Patil, previously arrested for his involvement in a drug racket, allegedly paid Rs 70,000 daily to senior hospital staff for an extended stay at the hospital, as per reliable sources within Sassoon Hospital. Sources further reveal that these payments were made in cash, once a week, and were collected by a middleman who acted as a liaison for Sassoon Hospital's senior personnel.

Despite attempts to contact Sassoon Hospital's dean, Sanjeev Thakur, it was reported that he was unavailable due to prior commitments in Mumbai, attending a court date.

Lalit Patil, who was arrested three years ago, spent the last 16 months as an inmate at Sassoon Hospital. He had been arrested in connection with a drug racket but managed to escape custody after the drug racket was busted at Sassoon Hospital. During his stay at Sassoon, he was accommodated in prisoner ward number 16, where he possessed an iPhone worth Rs 1.25 lakh.

Lalit's legal troubles date back to June 2020 when he was initially arrested. Since then, he has been serving time at Yerawada jail for a total of 39 months, with a significant portion of that time spent at Sassoon Hospital. Reliable sources have further revealed that Lalit was allegedly involved in smuggling mephedrone drugs from within the hospital premises, dealing in crores of rupees.