Gangster Gawli released

Gawli was released from the prison around 6 pm amidst tight security after his counsel Ashok Patil pointed out that there was grave threat to the life of his client from rival Dawood Ibrahim-Chotta Shakeel gangs. The don reached his residence around 8 pm amidst tight naka bandi along the road he was travelling. Vehicles were being searched at random to weed out suspects.

There are 16 cases still pending against Gawli since 1980 after he took to organised crime. He has been acquitted in eight cases, police sources revealed.

Gawli was arrested on August 20, 1997, when a special squad attached to Zone-II barged into the gang’s hideaway at Dagdi Chawl nearByculla. Even as he was being apprehended, his henchmen Vijay Kamble, Vijay Shirodkar and Pankaj Pandya were shot dead in an encounter with the police.

The don was booked under MPDA on September 22, 1997. He was set for release after completion of detention period on September 22 this year.

Earlier, Gawli was brought to the city from Amravati jail on March 30 to face trails in connection with the murder of the Malabar Hill builder Manish Shah on February 5 and since then has been lodged at Thane Central Prison. His wife Asha was named as an accused in the Shah murder case and arrested on March 6.

In a recent development, Gawli has also moved the Sessions Court for anticipatory bail after he was named as conspirator in the murder of IncableNet director Ram Panjabi at Andheri on September 11. Principal Sessions Judge A S Aguiar, in an interim order, has directed the police not to arrest Gawli till October 5.