Panaji, May 6 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Nitin Gadkari Thursday said an alleged Goan drug peddler currently lodged in a Mumbai prison for suspected links to an Israeli drug dealer may be innocent.

Speaking to reporters here, Gadkari also tried to justify BJP legislator Dayanand Mandrekar's recent plea to Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik to "help" alleged drug peddler Savlo Salgaonkar, arrested by Mumbai Police for possessing drugs.

"The person arrested may be innocent. That is why he (Mandrekar) must have demanded his release. I will personally cross-check the issue," Gadkari said, adding that the party was seriously concerned about the narcotics scenario in the state.

State BJP president Laxmikant Parsenkar Tuesday (May 4) dismissed Mandrekar's plea to help the alleged drug peddler as a sarcastic joke. "Mandrekar must have joked. He might have passed a sarcastic comment," Parsenkar said.

Mandrekar, a former minister, said in the state assembly in March: "The drugs were given to him (Salgaonkar) by Israeli drug peddler David Griham alias Dudu. He (Salgaonkar) fell into the trap for a few rupees."

"The home minister should approach the Maharashtra government and help him get out of trouble," he said during a discussion in the state assembly.

"If you can help this boy, please do it," said Mandrekar, a legislator from Goa's narcotics-infested Siolim constituency.