19 March,2011 02:09 AM IST | | Poornima Swaminathan
Kedare's gang works independently, carries out killing on behalf of different dons
Dons will no longer have to bloody their hands for eliminating rivals or targets, all they need to do is outsource the services of an 'underworld BPO', which carries out killings on behalf of infamous gangs.
With the advent of the 'underworld BPO', gang loyalty may soon become a thing of the past
"Kedare, a former right hand man of Chhota Rajan heads the gang, takes orders from all the gangs," said Rakesh Maria, additional director general and ATS chief.
Kedare, who was arrested recently by the ATS, revealed during interrogation that his 'BPO' had executed killings on behalf of various underworld outfits such as Chhota Rajan, Hemant Pujari, Ravi Pujari and Kumar Pillai gangs.
Modus operandi
Explaining the modus operandi of the Kedare's gang, a senior ATS official said, "The gang leader has delegated jobs, including recruiting shooters, procuring arms, storing of arms and planning the killing."
He went on, "Depending on profile of the target, the gang would charge anything between Rs 7 lakh and
Rs 9 lakh.
All gang aides are paid a monthly salary and given bonuses and perks after carrying out a successful shootout or robbery. In times of crisis, the family members too are well taken care of."
The operation is executed by sharp shooters, mostly youths sans any criminal records from north India. These shooters undergo a basic training programme.
In a bid to mislead the police and avoid detection, they hire swanky cars.
The police have recovered two handguns, three pistols, a revolver, 49 live cartridges, a magazine, a Santro and a Honda City, and 14 mobile phones from the gang.
Since most shooters, recruited by the underworld BPO, are fresh faces without any criminal history, the police have a tough time tracking them, which works as a roadblock in investigations.
Senior police officers said, "Since Kedare's BPO did not per say belong to any gang, it was difficult to trace its members," said the officer.
Underworld has always been functioning on two sacred rules rivalry and loyalty.
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Gang members swear loyalty to their bosses such as Dawood Ibrahim's right hand-man Chhotau00a0 Shakeel. Arun Gawli is known to pay his associates wages and even looked after their families when they were in prison.
However, with the advent of the 'underworld BPO', gang loyalty may soon become a thing of the past. "With money honey being everybody's priority, the BPO style gang could soon gain popularity," said an ATS officer.
Set pattern
Dons no longer need to worry about their aides being bumped off in encounters or being trapped in police net. All they need to do is make an offer to the gang and pay the money and the killing will be "flawlessly executed".
This also reduces their overheads such as paying legal fees if arrested, paying up 'blood money' if an associate is killed in an encounter.
In some cases, pension was paid to senior members of the syndicate.
Theu00a0BPO Boss
The gang was headed by Kedare, 37, a former Chhota Rajan aide. While serving term for a murder sentence, he met other Chhota Rajan aides such as Balu Dhokre and Bunty Pandey. He was let out on parole in 2008, but he has been jumping bail since. Then he went on to float the outsourcing outfit. Kedare was convicted for murdering Vinayak Bakalkar, Ratnagiri, on April 2, 2001.
Cases so far
The BPO gang drew its first blood when its members carried out a killing in Ulhasnagar in 2007. The second and most recent crime committed by the gang is a murder in Kalwa, 2010
