MUMBAI, March 16: DCP, Zone-II, Param Bir Singh today presented a trunkful of evidence against the Gawli gang. Literally. At a crowded press briefing Singh's aides came up with two black trunks which contained 106 dossiers on all the gang activities and related court cases which were seized from a raid at a house in South-Central Mumbai last night.The dossiers prove, says the police, that the affidavits and writ petitions filed by assorted members of the gang against them are part of a conspiracy to keep the police entangled in legal red-tape, and away from field operations against the gang.
"The extent of their preparation is amazing," says Param Bir Singh. "Signed vakalatnamas have already been kept ready for Gawli associates like Bandya Adhivadekar alias Santosh and Raja Jadhav who are still active and have yet to be nabbed by the cops," he said. Singh added that all the vakalatnamas and dossiers had been typed from one typewriter thereby leading to the conclusion that a central forcewas at work.
"The seized documents can be returned only if proper permission is obtained from the court," he added. Also seized from yesterday's raids were incriminating documents which gave details of extortion money recovered by Gawli's associates from their victims and blank "vakalatnama" signed from within the various jails in the state. Some seized documents included "vakalatnamas" in the names of the gangsters on the hit list of the police squads and were prepared in anticipation of encounter deaths, the police added.
Speaking at a press conference this evening, police officers revealed that of the 106 dossiers seized, 16 related to Gawli himself. While 20 related to gangsters killed in police encounters, there were separate files on slain gangsters Sada Pawle, ace shooters Sunil Ghate, Raja Jadhav and others.
The seizures were effected after a special squad attached to Zone II on information raided a hideout at Laxmi Building on N M Joshi Marg under the jurisdiction of Agripadapolice station. The premise was rented by Suresh Bhaskar alias Aamdar, a top cadre in Gawli's Akhil Bharatiya Sena.
While three persons managed to escape, two accused have been arrested. A loaded firearm and one live round have been recovered from their person.
The arrested have been identified as Khalil Ahmed Parkar and suspended police constable Salim Ahmed with eight cases against them. The police are on the lookout for Suresh Bhaskar.
Assistant inspector Vijay Salaskar, a member of the special squad, told this newspaper that all the valuable information in the dossiers are being pieced together. There are names of Gawli cadre and particulars of persons who are associated with the gang, said Salaskar.
Interestingly, among the heap of documents recovered was a Hindi translation of Mario Puzo's classic Godfather. The novel was inscribed by gangster Sunil Ghate proclaiming Arun Gawli to be the godfather of Mumbai.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
