One person was arrested and two more booked for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 27-year-old woman, the daughter of a policeman. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad on Monday arrested notorious gangster Harish Mandvikar and three others for allegedly issuing death threats to a witness in a drug case. The ATS probe has revealed that Mandvikar, who has been lodged at Arthur Road Jail, had been sending letters to his wife and other gang members from the jail. The ATS is also probing the route through which the letters were sent out of the jail.
In June 2015, the Maharashtra ATS had busted an illegal manufacturing unit of mephedrone at Lokhandwala area, following which one Sajid Electricwala was arrested. He is the main accused in the case and is still lodged in Arthur Road Jail.
However, as per the instructions given through letters by Mandvikar, one Sachin Kolekar had asked another Sujid Padwalkar to threaten the main witness in the drug case. “They have been threatening him to give a statement in Electricwala’s favour, so that he can secure bail,” said an officer. However, the witness reported the incident to Charkop ATS, who then laid a trap and got hold of Padwalkar.
Further investigation then led to the arrest of Kolekar, following which the ATS, on Monday, took custody of Mandvikar and Electricwala. Mandvikar has been charged with 13 cases including two murders. He was convicted to life imprisonment in a murder case.
