Gawli Remanded To Police Custody Till Sept 4

A city metropolitan magistrate yesterday remanded underworld don Arun Gawli to police custody till September 4 for his alleged involvement in killing of city builder Nathubhai Desai and said persons like him should be kept away from society.

Common man of the megapolis is under tension as the affairs of the city are being controlled by certain gangsters, observed additional chief metropolitan magistrate S N Chimade before whom the accused was produced by the police to seek his custody.

Without naming anyone, the magistrate said, Two gangs in the city are targetting influential persons like builders and film stars for extortion amounts.

 

On the charge by defence counsel, Ashok Patil, that police were acting as puppets at the instance of a political party which is feeling threatened by the success of Akhil Bharatiya Sena, a political outfit floated by Gawli, he said, at present, lets not go into the discussion whether police are puppets or not and first investigate the case against the present accused (Gawli), charged with serious crimes.

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner of police Ashok Dhamija said that computer sketches of the two gunmen who fired at Desai, a prominent land developer, were ready and we will soon nab them.

Chief police prosecutor Ravindranath Patil, pressing for maximum custody of the accused, produced in the court a blood-stained diary and a note, which contained the amount paid to Sadamama Pawale, a close lieutenant of Gawli.

The pocket diary also contained a telephone number of Byculla area where the Dagdi Chawl is located.

Three Gawli men had visited Desais residence in Vile Parle, Patil informed the court and allegedly threatened the builder. Similarly, another builder was also threatened.

The latter lodged a complaint with Juhu police, he said adding that Desai kept mum and paid the price.

Gawli need not be present during the gunning down of Desai but it cannot be denied that it was a cleverly hatched conspiracy by him, chief police prosecutor said.

The blood-stains on the diary might have been manipulated by the police, defence counsel Patil alleged. The stains have been sent to forensic laboratory, police informed the court.

Though Gawli has a chequered past of spending seven years in several jails in Maharashtra, not once he was convicted, Patil asserted.

By remanding Gawli to police custody, his right to liberty enshrined in the Constitution is being violated, he argued.

The chief police prosecutor contended that the interest of public at large was much more important than the personal liberty of a person, who is posing a threat to society.