From Tilak’s arrest to dreaded dons: Curtains to fall on Mumbai landmark

The two-storey structure is set to be demolished this week after structural auditors deemed it unsafe. “The demolition work is set to be taken up by authorities after November 26. The building has already been vacated after being termed dilapidated and beyond repair,” said a senior police officer, adding that it will be replaced by a six-storey facility.

“The Crime Branch is facing a severe space crunch and the new building will have enough space… a part of it will house the CCTV monitoring centre, the administrative branch and meeting rooms,” the officer said.

Until the new building is ready, the officer said, several offices — administration, enforcement, control centre, statistics, intelligence, lock-up, etc., — will be temporarily relocated to the Bavla Compound in Chinchpokli and another newly constructed building in the HQ premises.

With a legacy spanning a century, the old stone structure has been the platform for several prominent cases starting from the pre-Independence period: Tilak was held here after being arrested on sedition charges by the British government.

“The building holds a unique status… It was my dream after joining the force to have an office in this iconic building,” said former Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria.

“Whenever I used to come for weekly meetings at the headquarters in the 1980s, I would think of having an office in this building, which is synonymous with the Crime Branch” said Maria, who worked in the Crime Branch as DCP (1993-1996), Additional CP (2000-2003) and Joint CP (2007-2010).

“Many sensational cases over the past four decades were detected here, and several hardened criminals and celebrities were interrogated here. I had interrogated Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt in connection with the 1993 serial blasts, and actress Maria Susairaj and her boyfriend Lt Emile Jerome Mathew in the Neeraj Grover murder case,” Maria said.

“Kasab, who was caught in the 26/11 Mumbai blasts attack, was kept in the building for almost three months as it was considered a safe place, within the headquarters,” he said.

Apart from the detention and interrogation of underworld dons such as Chhota Rajan, Gawli, Salem and Ejaz Lakdawala, Maria said the murder of businessman Sunit Khatau was also detected inside this building.

Constructed in 1908, the building was initially used to accommodate Haj pilgrims. In 1909, it was allotted to what was then referred to as the Greater Bombay Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (GBCB-CID), formed by the then British government after the riots that followed the arrest of Tilak.

The four key responsibilities of the department were: political, foreign, crime and miscellaneous — each under a separate police inspector. Its main task was to investigate cases of sensitive, political and religious nature, which is the mandate even today.

Last week, Lakhmi Gautam, Joint CP (Crime Branch), the last officer to occupy the old building, moved out. “This building has witnessed many momentous occasions, including the Mumbai Police’s fight against gangs and organised crime. Now it is being replaced by a modern, digitally equipped building, which will help the Mumbai Police serve citizens even better,” Gautam said.

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