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Journalism of Courage
The Pune city police last week seized two live bullets and four empty cartridges from the house of gangster Nilesh Ghaywal, who allegedly obtained a passport illegally and travelled to a foreign country despite receiving a negative address verification report and facing multiple criminal cases.
After the search on Saturday, the police on Sunday registered a case under the Arms Act against Ghaywal for illegal possession of ammunition.
“Another FIR will be registered today against Ghaywal in connection with his illegal passport procurement and foreign visit,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Sambhaji Kadam said on Monday.
On the night of September 17, members of the Ghaywal gang allegedly opened fire on a local resident, Prakash Dhumal, and attacked a student, Vaibhav Sathe, 19, with sharp weapons in the Kothrud area without any reason.
Based on complaints filed by the two victims, two FIRs were registered against the Ghaywal gang members on charges of attempted murder. The police also invoked stringent sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Ghaywal and eight members of his gang booked in the two cases.
While some members of his gang were arrested, Ghaywal managed to evade the investigators and travelled abroad last month. The police suspect that he travelled to London and Switzerland.
The police initiated an investigation against Ghaywal and seized his vehicles, including an SUV and three motorcycles. They have also frozen about 10 bank accounts of Ghaywal and his family members, having a balance of over Rs 38 lakh.
DCP Kadam said that a warrant was sought from a court to search Ghaywal’s house in Sant Dnyaneshwar Colony in Kothrud. The police searched the house and seized the bullets, empty cartridges, and some documents. Assistant Police Inspector Ravindra Alekar then registered an FIR against Ghaywal at the Kothrud police station in connection with the seizure.
‘Passport issued despite negative report’
Meanwhile, it was learnt that Ghaywal applied for a tatkaal passport at the regional passport office in Pune in 2019. In his passport application, he mentioned he was a resident of “Gauri Ghumat, Anandi Bazar, Maliwada Road, Ahmednagar (now renamed Ahilyanagar)”.
After receiving Ghaywal’s passport verification case online on December 23, 2019, the personnel at the Kotwali police station in Ahilyanagar conducted verification on the address mentioned in the application. But he was not found at the spot. So the then Ahilyanagar superintendent of police made a “not available” remark in the file and forwarded it to the regional passport office in Pune on January 16, 2020. The police then launched an investigation into how he had obtained the passport despite a negative address verification remark.
As per police records, Ghaywal, who used to be a henchman for gangster Gaja Marne in the early 2000s, has over 12 cases registered against him. These include cases of murder, attempted murder, and extortion. He also faced preventive detention under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Slumlords, Bootleggers, Drug Offenders and Dangerous Persons Act (MPDA Act) and prosecution under MCOCA.
Ghaywal was out on bail when he fled the country. The Bombay High Court had instructed him to surrender his passport to the police, but he still managed to travel abroad, the police said.
