Politician shielded suspended cop from dismissal 12 yrs ago

A proposal to dismiss suspended police inspector Sanjay Shinde was moved in 2000, but an IPS officer and a politician shielded him from dismissal, said police sources.

A proposal to dismiss suspended police inspector Sanjay Shinde was moved in 2000, but an IPS officer and a politician shielded him from dismissal, said police sources.

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This came to light with investigations into Shinde’s alleged association with Vijay Palande and the underworld gaining momentum. Police sources said a proposal to dismiss Shinde from service under article 311 of the Constitution was moved in 2000 for Shinde’s alleged role in the kidnapping of Chiranjeev Vaghani, the managing director of Milton Plastics. But an IPS officer and a politician had shielded Shinde from being dismissed, said police sources.

Shinde’s alleged nexus with Abu Salem had surfaced in the Milton kidnapping case.

In February 2000, alleged Abu Salem gang members kidnapped Vaghani. They then demanded a ransom of Rs25 crore for his release. The case was later cracked after the officer was subjected to intense interrogation. “He was in direct touch with Abu Salem, and his phone was recorded in the case. Shinde, in fact, was egging Vaghani’s kidnappers to shoot him,” said a senior IPS officer, requesting anonymity. This had prompted senior officers to move for his dismissal.

Shinde had first come under an inquiry when he shot a fellow officer in 1998 after getting drunk in a bar. Shinde was also shot in the duel, said sources.