Ex-aide of Chhota Rajan held in Gujarat over assault on 2 lawyers in Mumbai

A former aide of gangster Chhota Rajan was nabbed from Gujarat by the Maharashtra Housing Board (MHB) police in connection with an assault on two lawyers in suburban Dahisar over a property dispute case, an official said on Tuesday.

The accused Mandar Borkar has multiple cases, including extortion, cheating, attempt to murder, pending against him. Prime facie, the lawyer was attacked on the directions of Borkar, he said.

The assault case has already been transferred to the Mumbai crime branch's unit 11. All the 13 accused, including Borkar and a woman, are in the custody of the crime branch, the official said.

The lawyers, Satyadev Joshi and Ankit Tandon were attacked in Kandharpada locality in Dahisar (west) by some men with swords, knives, and bamboo sticks on July 19. The video of the incident had gone viral.

On the day of the incident, Joshi and Tandon had gone to survey a land with their client when they were attacked by a mob of 30 people, police had said.

In the statement, the complainant had said the accused people first misbehaved with them, kicked the notice board placed on the land and claimed the land belonged to someone else. The accused had also threatened to kill Joshi and Tandon if they continue to pursue the property dispute case.

Maharashtra Housing Board police had registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) under charges of attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and rioting, along with sections of the Arms Act.

With the crime branch probing the case, the accused may be slapped with stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the official said.