Aide ensures Babloo gets mosquito-free, clean lock-up

Akin to the personal photographer of Chhedi Singh in Dabangg, who loved to click smiling pictures of the Bhaiyaji, an aide of notorious gangster Omprakash alias Babloo Srivastava is going ‘all out' to ensure that his Bhaiyaji doesn't face any problem during his stay in the Lashkar police station lock-up.

"Bhaiyaji ko gandagi se parhez hai," said the aide of the gangster who was brought to the city on Wednesday for his alleged role in the killing of 24-year-old Sagar Ladkat, son of petrol pump owner, in 1998.

Infamous: Omprakash alias Babloo Srivastava (left), a former aide of Dawood Ibrahim, was in Bareilly Central Jail in UP after being extradited from Singapore in 1995. Pic/Krunal Gosavi

To ensure that the lock-up where Babloo would be lodged is clean, he said, "Lashkar mein jahan pe rakhane wale hain, us jagah ko phenyl daal ke accha saaf karne ko kaha hai; hum use kuch paise de denge (Have asked to clean the place with phenyl in Laskhar where he'll be kept; will give him some money)," said the man who is accompanying Babloo in the city.

Seems the aide must have read about the slain 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Qasab, who reportedly got dengue while languishing in Arthur Road Jail. He showed this reporter a mosquito repellant spray that he had bought from a nearby shop. "Woh kya hai ki, wahan pe macchar bhi ho sakate hain toh yeh spray khareed ke laye hai (There could be mosquitoes in the lock-up, hence I've bought this)."

Meanwhile, a source in Lashkar police station told MiD DAY that no special treatment will be meted out to Babloo. "He will be kept in a separate cell, and the armed guards of the UP police will be around him all the time," he said, adding that special emphasis is being paid towards Babloo's security, as there are intelligence inputs that he may be targeted by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Well-guarded: Babloo Srivastava (left) was brought to the city in the Jhelum Express with an escortu00a0of 21 police personnel and three officers. He was produced before the Cantonment Court yesterday u00a0Pic/Krunal Gosavi

Likewise, a police constable said that Babloo didn't demand any special treatment. "He ate the food which we brought from the police canteen," he said.

Srivastava was brought from Bareli Central Jail in UP on Wednesday and was arrested by the Crime Branch Unit II soon after his arrival. He was produced before the Cantonment Court, amidst heavy police security, yesterday. Babloo was guarded by UP Police personnel armed with AK-47 rifles.

The Cantonment Court remanded Babloo to police custody till December 10. He'll be kept in Lashkar police station lock-up during the night, and will be taken to the Crime Branch office during the day for questioning.u00a0

Babloo a tough nut to crack ?
While seeking Babloo's police custody, public prosecutor P Jadhav told the court that, as the investigators still have to reach to the other suspects in the murder, they need police need the gangster's custody.u00a0"Investigators are trying hard to get information from him, but he is not co-operating, and is give vague answers," Jadhav told the court.

He said that though Babloo was in the jail when Ladkat was killed, it was him who instructed henchmen to execute the abduction and then kill the victim.
"Police have recovered mobile phones and pagers from the other accused, and have obtained the call details. Although Babloo wasn't physically present at the crime scene, he being an international criminal, is capable of executing the crime while in the jail," said Jadhav.

He also told the court that Babloo had instructed Fazlur Rehman, Archana Sharma, Anis Ahmed, Atik ur Rehman and other accomplice how to execute the plan, and that one Irfan Goga, who is currently absconding and is said to be in Gulf countries, was also wanted in the case.u00a0However, defence lawyer Srikant Shivade refuted the prosecution claim and said that it's not possible for a person lodged in jail to execute abduction and killing. Opposing prosecutions demand of Babloo's police custody, he presented 35 remand reports of the case and told the court that Babloo's name didn't feature in any of them. u00a0