Atala has 3 Israeli passports,don’t know yet which he used: Cops

Panaji:Goa police on Tuesday booked Israeli national Yaniv Benaim alias Atala, an alleged drug dealer, for allegedly staying in Goa illegally without valid documents. Police investigation has revealed that Atala holds three Israeli passports, and is trying to find out which one he used to return to the state.
Based on a complaint from the anti-narcotics cell (ANC) to Anjuna police, Atala was booked for staying in Goa without proper documents. "The accused person was found staying in Goa/India without possessing valid travel documents, thereby contravening the provisions of the Foreigners Order, 1948, and Foreigners Act, 1946. In this connection, an FIR has been registered at Anjuna police station," police said.
Goa police arrested Atala on Saturday in connection with an alleged narcotics case. Police approached the CBI to get the details of the passport on which he was extradited from Peru in 2011. The ANC found that it, Uttarakhand police,and CBI all have different passport numbers for Atala. The ANC is also verifying how Atala was issued an Aadhaar card without valid documents.
When the ANC inquired with the FRRO to check whether Atala entered Goa in 2011 on the passport recorded at the CBI, the FRRO said that there is no such entry or exit of Atala on that passport number. Police said that the passport attached by Uttarakhand police has not been released by the court as Atala never made any application for the release of his passport.
TOI reported that Atala was issued an Aadhaar card by govt. During the investigation, Atala told police that he holds an Israeli passport. Atala is currently in police custody, and Goa police are questioning him to find out more leads.
Last week, Atala was arrested for allegedly possessing narcotic substances worth Rs 8.7 lakh illegally. The ANC conducted a search at Siolim and arrested him with 50g of cocaine and 110g of charas. Atala had been under the ANC's radar for many days, and its team visited Atala’s rented residence at Siolim and seized cocaine and charas from his possession.
Atala, who has been staying in Goa since 2006, was arrested in 2010 by Goa police in an alleged police-politician-drug mafia nexus case and was extradited from Peru in 2011. The cases were handed over to the CBI after the high court of Bombay at Goa disposed of a petition by then NSUI chief Sunil Kawathankar. The CBI, which was investigating the police-politician-drug mafia case, dropped charges of any involvement in the drug trade against Atala in Dec 2015.