Criminal Ranjit Batla arrested for a rave party has city's respected citizens living in the same building
Criminal Ranjit Batla arrested for a rave party has city's respected citizens living in the same building
Naju Mansion in Colaba where officials of the Anti-Narcotics Cell conducted a raid and arrested 11 people, including four prostitutes, on Saturday night houses some famous names in the city.
The ground plus two-storey building built in 1920 is home to Mumbai North West MP Gurudas Kamat and former police officer Alex Fialho, who arrested India's notorious serial killer Raman Raghav.
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Ranjit Batla, infamous for his criminal past, is the only black lister residing in the building.
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"We fear him. Even the heavyweights in the building can't do anything to Batla because he is so powerful," said an elderly couple residing in Naju Mansion.
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Alex Fialho who resides on the first floor said, "I know about Batla, but I cannot do anything.
He has been staying in this building for 30 years, whereas I have been here for 25 years. I have nothing to do with him."
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Residents, however, say Batla is rarely seen in the building.
A resident, who once saw him during a wedding reception, said, "Batla is a well-dressed person and wears a thick gold chain.
He rarely talks to anybody in the building, and residents too stay away from his because of his image."
The raid
The police acted on a tip-off and entered Ranjit Batla's house on Saturday night.
They caught hold of Batla, Akbar Shaikh, Ritesh Kanbur, Jawahar Vanjani, Mushtaq Shaikh, Shirajuddin Shaikh, Yograj Singh Gohil, Sonu Choudhary, Vaishali Chavan, Nargis Khan and Ramadevi Reddy for consuming drugs.
Inspector Anil Jadhav said, We are still investigating the matter. He confirmed that Batla owns the flat.
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