Goon in police custody

Judicial magistrate (first class) on Thursday remanded gangster Baba Bodke in police custody till Monday in connection with forceful eviction of tenants from a wada (cluster houses) in Budhwar Peth.

Bodke was arrested following a complaint by Nikhil Avaghade, a resident of Padmavati, after he was assaulted with sharp weapons on July 13.

Investigations revealed that Bodke had given a contract to murder (supari) of Rs50,000 to some youths for eliminating Avaghade. There was a dispute between a builder and residents over an old wada.

The wada owner sold his property having 11 shops, 11 godowns, four rooms and a religious structure to the builder. However, except for one tenant and people connected to the religious structure, the rest of the people had vacated their places. When the remaining people refused to vacate the structure, the owner and the builder approached Bodke.

After the assault on Avaghade, the police arrested Anand alias Anil Sidhu Kadam (19), Avinash Laxman Rite (19) and Manoj Kailash Jagtap (29), all residents of Dandekar Bridge area. A 17-year-old boy was lodged in a remand home.

On July 14, the police arrested two members of Bodke gang namely Manoj alias Manya Sonawane (27) of Ambegaon Khurd and Vinod Kataram (37) of Budhwar Peth.

Bodke (40), a resident of Vishrantwadi, was arrested on Wednesday. He is a criminal on police record with 10 cases, including five murders and two extortion cases. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment under the stringent MCOCA Act, but appealed to the Bombay High Court.