Santosh Shetty gang busted

The Thane police have arrested 11 men — including the son of a retired police constable — on charges of extortion, murder and attempt to murder in raids on Saturday and Sunday across Thane and Mumbai. The accused are believed to be linked to the Santosh Shetty gang. “With these arrests, all links of the Santosh Shetty gang in Thane district have been destroyed, “ claimed Sanjay Shintre, Deputy commissioner of police, Crime, Thane.

The latest arrests come in wake of the encounter in Dombivali on October 19 in which Rajesh ‘Bobby’ Nair, reportedly a key member of the Shetty gang, was killed.

The arrested have been identified as: Sachin Sakharam Yadavde (son of a retired cop); Tushar Balkrishna Thorat, Dilip alias Ashok Bunty Verma (from Kalyan), Mohan Haribhau Kapade; (resident of Lonavala); Surya Nivrutti Pagare, (resident of Ambernath); Budhram Ganpat Sarnobat (from Titwala); Sachin Ramchandra Bhagat, (from Dungagaon); Ajaykumar Vijaykumar Dhawan, Sajan Ramchandra Gaud, Abhiskeh Shobhnath Prajapati and Ashok Mohan Yadav, (UP natives.

The Kalyan Crime Branch got a tip off that Yadavde, Thorat and Verma will be at Sachin’s house. Subsequently, a team of Crime Branch officials arrested them on Saturday. Their associates were arrested from Girgaon and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus on Saturday and Sunday, the police said.