12 January,2024 12:23 PM IST | Mira Road | Shirish Vaktania
The arrested accused/ Hanif Patel
The Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar Crime Branch arrested a gang leader, Manish alias Raju Chavan, along with 11 other individuals involved in a series of thefts, murders and robberies. The probe revealed a distinctive modus operandi where the gang would consume alcohol before proceeding to rob the homes they broke into. In case they were caught during a break-in, they resorted to killing the witness.
Chavan, the main accused, is not new to criminal activities and is a prime suspect in the murder of a Dubai Hotelier in Shahapur, Thane, back in 2019.
The gang's activities came to light when they planned to rob a petrol pump in Nalasopara. Despite resisting arrest and attacking officers with weapons, the police arrested them. Among those arrested were Chavan's sister, Ashwini Rupchand Chavan, and two other notorious criminals, Ravindra Sukhram Solanki and Sukhchain Pawar, wanted in several housebreaking cases. The MP police have also offered a reward of 5000 rupees for information leading to the arrest of these accused.
The cops revealed that the gang operated across various areas in Maharashtra including Palghar, Thane, Nashik, Jalgaon, Sangli, Satara, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, and parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.
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Ashwini Chavan, Manish's sister, would survey areas and select houses for break-ins. Once inside, the gang would consume alcohol before searching for cash, jewellery and valuables, often committing crimes while families slept.
The cops recovered from them a Scorpio car, autorickshaw, weapons and other stolen goods worth Rs 10 lakhs. The gang is facing charges at Arnala Sagri, Wada, Ganeshpuri, and Ghoti police stations.
Chavan's criminal history
During his court hearings in Mumbai, Chavan would assemble a group of 7-8 individuals and engage in multiple housebreaking. His criminal history spans multiple locations including Shahpur, Pimpri in Pune, Sani Singnapur in Ahmednagar, Vishrambaug in Sangli, Kinhavali in Thane, and Karad police station in Satara district.
Accomplices Solanki and Pawar are also wanted by the MP and Rajasthan police. Ashwini Chavan, the accused sister, is implicated in various housebreaking cases in Ahmednagar and Mumbai.
The operation, led by the crime branch team officers and coordinated efforts from other departments, resulted in the arrest of several individuals linked to the gang including Aakash Pawar, Gopal Pawar, Mohan Kale, Umesh Pawar, and Anita Pawar, all residents of Solapur, and the jeweller Rajesh Soni who purchased the stolen gold.
The officials involved in the operations were DCP Avinash Ambure (Crime), ACP Madan Ballal (Crime), PI Pramod Badakh, PSI Abhijit Tailor, Umesh Bhagwat, WPSI Ranjana Shirgire, constables Ashok Yadav, Sachin Ghere, Mukesh Tatkare, Sagar Baravkar, Manoj Sakpal, Ashwin Patil, Rakesh Pawar, Sumeet Jadhav, Sunil Patil, Yuvraj Waghmode, Pravin Wankhede, Ganesh Yadav, Sagar Sonawane, Chetan Nimbalkar, Datta Jadhav, and Vira police team Anand Rathod, and the traffic division team Vijaya Mengeri and cyber cell officer Santosh Chavan.
Shahpur murder case
In 2019 the main accused Manish alias Raju Chavan, his wife and other accused entered the bungalow of the deceased Suresh Munaje at Shahapur Thane, tied his hands and legs with rope, beat him to death before robbing his home and fleeing.
