Tags:
Journalism of Courage
MUMBAI, July 8: The Thane police are putting together evidence that could link 13 corporators of the Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli municipal corporations to the dreaded Manchekar gang. Coming close on the heels of the sacking of a police constable attached to the Thane control for leaking information to the gang, this lead is a chilling reminder of the underworld8217;s reach.
While Constable Sunil Vinayak Balid buckle number 5507 was sacked after a departmental enquiry found him guilty of leaking out information about police movements, four Manchekar gangsters who were arrested during a raid yesterday at Kharigaon in Kalwa, Thane, told the police about a group of corporators who were 8220;assisting them.8221; The gangsters identified as Prakash Shankar Uttekar, Prakash Vasant Rajput, Dattaram Pawar and Santosh Mhatre told police that these corporators 8211; four from the TMC and nine from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation 8211; provided shelter to gang members, helped them in identifying victims for extortion andarranged for bail and ensured regular flow of cash.
According to the police, constable Balid had begun working for the Manchekar gang soon after he was placed with the police control room at Mahatma Phule police station, Kalyan. His involvement in the gang8217;s activities was not restricted to only passing on information. Senior officers said he had taken a bar girl from Kalyan, a constable attached to the Satara police, a colleague of his from the Kalyan control room and two members of of the Manchekar gang to Madhya Pradesh to procure arms in the month of May this year. En route, the vehicle in which they were travelling met with an accident and the bargirl and Nirpute died on the spot.Balid, however, escaped with minor injuries. When his seniors learnt of his dalliance with the underworld, they transferred him to the Thane control room, where, unaware of the fact that his superiors knew of his links with the underworld, he continued providing information to the gang and was ultimately trapped by the police. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against the constable. A senior official of the Thane Crime Branch, meanwhile, revealed that two more constables in Dombivli were reportedly following in Balid8217;s foot-steps. 8220;We are watching them closely,8221; he told Express Newsline.
