I will not let Mumbai go back to the gang war days: CM

Responding to concerns raised in the legislative council by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLCs Sachin Ahir and Milind Narvekar regarding the systematic targeting of celebrities in Mumbai, Fadnavis said adequate security measures were being implemented and urged members of the film industry not to panic

Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday reassured the film industry following the recent firing incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence, saying the government would not allow Mumbai to slip back into the era of underworld dominance. The state government has also requested the Centre to handover the custody of gangster Anmol Bishnoi to the Mumbai Police for investigation.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Responding to concerns raised in the legislative council by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLCs Sachin Ahir and Milind Narvekar regarding the systematic targeting of celebrities in Mumbai, Fadnavis said adequate security measures were being implemented and urged members of the film industry not to panic. “I appeal to celebrities not to be afraid. We will not allow Mumbai to return to the days of gang wars. Necessary police protection has been provided,” said Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio.

In a written reply, the chief minister said the incident took place on the night of February 1, when an unidentified person opened fire at Shetty’s residence in Juhu. One of the bullets struck the compound wall, following which a case was registered at Juhu police station and later transferred to the crime branch. Five rounds were fired during the incident, with one bullet also hitting a glass panel of the building. Police have recovered five empty cartridges, and further investigation is underway.

He identified one of the accused as Shubham Lonkar, allegedly linked to the Bishnoi gang, and said efforts were on to arrest him. “Lonkar, a resident of Akola district, is believed to be operating from abroad and has been involved in issuing threats for extortion,” the chief minister said. Lonkar had earlier threatened a Congress MLA and even a BJP MLA recently. His brother has already been arrested and Shubham, who is out of India, will be arrested soon, he said.

Fadnavis added that the state government has requested the Centre to hand over custody of gangster Anmol Bishnoi, who is currently with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), to the Mumbai Police for further investigation in related cases. “The NIA has arrested Anmol Bishnoi and he is in their custody. We demanded that the centre give custody of Anmol Bishnoi to the Mumbai Police, as they want to question him in some other matters too. Once the NIA custody is over, we will get his custody,” he said.