Explained: Who is ex-cop Isaque Bagwan, and what are the ‘disproportionate assets’ allegations against him?

Who is Isaque Bagwan?

Isaque Ibrahim Bagwan is a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police who served in Maharashtra Police for 35 years and retired in 2009. He has been honoured with the prestigious President’s Police medal for gallantry thrice.

Bagwan became popular through media in 1982 when he, as a sub-inspector, along with his colleague shot dead gangster Manya Surve at Wadala. It is said to be the first-ever registered encounter done by the Mumbai Police.

In 1983 Bagwan was in the news again when gangster Amirzada Khan was shot dead in Mumbai’s Sessions Court at Kala Ghoda on the orders of wanted don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. The assassin David Pardesi tried to run away but was shot in the leg by Bagwan and apprehended.

During the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Bagwan had taken charge of the Nariman House and had won accolades for helping people to get to safety and for restricting the movement of terrorists.

A Hindi movie based on the encounter of Surve was released in 2013 where actor Anil Kapoor had played the role of Bagwan. Bagwan had later expressed displeasure over some scenes in the movie. To clear the facts, the former cop wrote a book ‘Isaque Bagwan’ which was released in 2015 in Marathi. In 2018, he wrote another book named ‘Me against the Mumbai Underworld’.

What is the controversy surrounding Bagwan?

On March 24, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis alleged that Bagwan had amassed disproportionate assets to his known sources of income. He alleged Bagwan had links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and Haji Mastan, a mafia who ran a smuggling syndicate.

Fadnavis stated, “Isaque Bagwan is a retired and celebrated officer of Mumbai Police and was also an encounter specialist. Now, his brother has lodged a complaint against him about accumulating disproportionate assets. In Baramati alone, he owns 42 acres of non-agricultural land. His properties can be found from Baramati to Mumbai.” Fadnavis added that the land in Baramati was bought by Bagwan while in service in the name of his brother Nasir Bagwan, father Ibrahim Bagwan and sister-in-law Bilkis Gulab Hussain Bagwan.

“After retiring, the land was transferred in Bagwan’s name… just an application submitted for this. Then, Isaque Bagwan sold it to one Kapoor and took it back in two months. The land was taken back in the name of Farid Mohammed Ali Welder. When the Thane Police crime branch arrested Iqbal Kaskar, brother of Dawood Ibrahim, in 2017, Kaskar said he had allegedly given Rs 10 lakh to Welder, who died seven days after being interrogated,” Fadnavis claimed.

Stating that Welder bought the land for Rs 41 lakh, the former chief minister further said the land was in Bagwan’s name for 10 years. “On December 30, 2020, Welder’s son transferred the land to Bagwan’s name through a gift deed. A political leader from Mumbai mediated this… that is why I am giving you (home minister) this pen drive. This is Bagwan’s sting operation,” he added.

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What has Bagwan said?

The Indian Express on Thursday and Friday reached out to Bagwan through phone calls and text and Whatsapp messages seeking his response on the allegations levelled against him. There was no response till the time of publishing this report.

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