Arun Gawli, six others acquitted in 2005 extortion case

MUMBAI: A special court acquitted gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli and six others in an extortion case due to lack of evidence from the main witness.

MUMBAI: A special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court on Wednesday acquitted gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli and six others in an extortion case for want of cogent evidence.

Gangster Arun Gawli in Dagdi chawl for his mother’s in April 2018. (Vijayanand Gupta/HT Photo)

Special judge BD Shelke acquitted Gawli and six others after a prime witness told the court that he had not been threatened when he visited Dagdi chawl in Byculla, where Gawli lived. He also said that he had given “donations” to a co-accused of his own accord, contradicting his complaint to the police regarding extortion.

Apart from Gawli, those acquitted in the case were Vijay Gulab Ahir, Shrikrishna Gurav, Mohammed Sharif Yusuf Qureshi, Ajit Chandrakant Rane, Sudhir Krishna Ghorpade aka Raju and Motiram Ramchandra Mahadik.

According to the prosecution, the incident dated back to 2005, when the complainant, a builder, was executing a redevelopment project in Dadar West. His office received several calls on its landline number at the time. The caller identified himself as Raju, claimed he was calling on behalf of the gangster and instructed the builder’s staff members to tell him to visit Dagdi chawl.

The builder agreed to visit Dagadi chawl after discussing the matter with his partner. On the appointed day, when he reached the chawl, he was asked to return another day. During the second visit, he was told that all builders who had projects in Dadar paid them ₹50 lakh per project and he too should pay them ₹25 lakh.

When the builder said he would be able to pay the amount only after selling tenements in the project, he was asked to pay ₹10 lakh immediately. Subsequently, between December 2005 and May 2006, he paid ₹7 lakh to co-accused Sudhir Ghorpade in instalments.

The extortion continued till March 2008, when the builder reported the matter to the police. A first information report (FIR) was registered at the Shivaji Park police station and co-accused Dinesh Narkar was arrested by the crime branch when he visited the builder’s office to collect the money. The police also recovered a country-made revolver from him.

Gawli is currently serving a life term at Nagpur central prison for the murder of Shiv Sena leader and corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar. In April this year, the Bombay high court had accepted his petition seeking premature release based on a 2006 state government notification. The high court order was stayed by the Supreme Court in June this year, ending the possibility of the gangster’s early release from jail.