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Murder accused alleges nexus between senior cop, gangsters
Mumbai The home ministry is looking into the complaint submitted by Vijay Palande, an accused in three murder cases, against the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad
Mumbai The home ministry is looking into the complaint submitted by Vijay Palande, an accused in three murder cases, against the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Deven Bharti, alleging a nexus between the officer and underworld gangsters. Bharti was additional commissioner of police (crime branch) at the time of the murders in 2012.
State home minister Anil Deshmukh confirmed his department had received the complaint. “I have received a complaint along with a file reportedly containing proofs against Deven Bharti. We are looking into the complaints and the action would be taken if required,” said Deshmukh.
Bharti, however, denied any wrongdoing, calling the complaint “malicious and furthering a criminal’s agenda”. “A serial killer, gangster, who is accused in six murder cases and other serious cases, is arrested in 2012. He makes a motivated, malicious and wild complaint in 2018 and it is being peddled in 2020. It should be enquired as to who are the people behind peddling this news and conniving, aiding and abetting a thoroughbred criminal in furthering his nefarious agenda. If the media gets played into the hands of accused criminals, it will set a wrong precedent and further encourage accused persons to level unsubstantiated allegations against investigators,” said Bharti.
Palande had submitted a written complaint to the chief vigilance commissioner (CVC), Delhi, on December 31, 2018, alleging a nexus between Bharti and underworld gangsters. Palande then sought to know the status of his complaint through a Right To Information (RTI) query from the office of director general of police, Maharashtra, in September 2019.
The reply to his RTI query stated that the complaint was received from the CVC and sent to the home ministry. The home ministry directed the Mumbai police commissioner to look into the allegations and take necessary action.
According to documents, which HT has accessed, in a confidential communication dated November 8, 2019, Rajesh Pradhan, the then inspector general of police (establishment), forwarded Palande’s complaint along with the letter from home ministry to the Mumbai police commissioner. In the letter, Pradhan requested the then police commissioner to hold an inquiry into the complaint and “take necessary steps”.
Officers, who did not wish to be named, said Mumbai police has already obtained permission to record Palande’s statement on February 24 from the sessions court last week.
Palande had alleged in his complaint that he came in contact with Bharti due to the nature of his job. “He asked me to give details of big businessmen, their phone numbers and financial worth. Initially, I did not know why he was asking that but eventually I realised he was passing this information to the underworld and then the gangsters were threatening these businessmen for extortion. Subsequently, they went to the crime branch for protection and Bharti handled their cases, advised them to give the money… He has made a fortune with this type of dealings,” reads the complaint filed by Palande. HT has a copy of the complaint.
Palande also alleged that Bharti was in close contact with Santosh Shetty, an alleged aide of gangster Chhota Rajan. “Santosh worked with Bharti for long but when Rajan discovered it, Shetty and Rajan developed animosity. Then Bharti introduced Santosh to Chhota
Shakeel on whose instruction he killed Bharat Nepali in Pattaya, Thailand, and buried him there in a private bungalow. I was very close to Santosh and hence I came to know the entire series of events,” reads the complaint.
Palande stated that Bharti was in close contact with accused dealing with illegal matka operations in the city. “When Habib Farooqui became close to Bharti and then started to harass Ravi Punjabi for money, Bharti grabbed all matka operations in the state. Farooqui and Punjabi started fighting over the control of matka business. Then Farooqui forced Bharti to put Punjabi in a bogus case.Then Farooqui ran all matka business under Bharti’s protection.”
