An alleged member of the Suresh Shetty gang was killed in an encounter with the Thane police in the wee hours of Thursday.
An alleged member of the Suresh Shetty gang was killed in an encounter with the Thane police in the wee hours of Thursday in Dombivali. He has been identified as Rajesh alias Bobby Bhaskar Nair. His accomplice, however, managed to escape in the encounter which took place at 2.40 am on Thursday, police said.
Nair was reportedly close to NCP corporator from KDMC, Vikas Mhatre, who was arrested by the anti-extortion cell of Thane police last month and booked under MCOCA.
Police sources said that Nair was behind the recent incidents of firing on Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) corporator Ramesh Mahtre, Ambarnath Municipal Council chief Gulabrao Karanjule and Dombivali builder Pradeep Joshi.
Sources said a team of the property cell of Thane police led by senior police inspector Praphulla Joshi was patrolling in Dombivali following Wednesday’s attempted bank robbery in Airoli, when they got information that Nair was seen near Captain Vinay Kumar Sachan Memorial at Gharda Circle in Dombivali with an associate. Following this, the cops reportedly reached the spot and surrounded Nair and his man.
According to the police, when the duo was instructed to surrender, Nair opened fire on the cops from his revolver. Nair was injured in the retaliatory firing, while his accomplice ran away, police said. Doctors at the Rukhminibai General Hospital in Kalyan pronounced him brought dead. Police said they recovered the revolver and a live cartridge from Nair.
Police sources said Nair was a “trusted lieutenant” of Shetty, and used to mastermind extortions and contract killings of the gang.
He was also instrumental in identifying and recruiting youngsters to the gang. Nair is alleged to have killed a businessman, Navin Dalal, in Lonavala in 2005, and was arrested for a planned dacoity in 2004.
However, cops could not arrest him in connection with any of the serious crimes he allegedly committed.
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