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Arun Gawli arrested, 3 cops injured

Michael Gonsalves in Pune

Underworld don and president of the Akhil Bharathiya Sena Arun Gawli was arrested last night for assaulting and seriously injuring three cops when a large posse of policemen swooped down on his residence at Wadgaon Panch Pir village about 85 kilometres north of Pune.

It is not yet known where the dreaded gangster-turned-politician has been lodged. The injured policemen include Sunil Ramchandra Shelar, B R Bandgar and B M Bhise. They were rushed to Manchar Government Hospital, police said.

Gawli's underlings started pelting stones when policemen on a tip-off that two vehicles were transporting a huge cache of weapons and ammunition to the village, came to search his residence.

Police said the incident occurred at around 5.30 pm on Tuesday when the rural control room received an intelligence report from their Bombay counterparts.

Pune rural Superintendent of Police Gulabrao Pol who was on his way to Manchar on Tuesday evening said the rural police control room informed their Pune counterparts that some vehicles containing weapons were headed to the residence of Arun Gawli in Wadgaon Pir village.

Within half-an-hour of receiving the intelligence report, Assistant police Inspector Ashok Chawan, accompanied by around 15 armed constables from the Manchar police station rushed to the don's residence.

Also, a police party comprising 10-15 policemen had been camping permanently outside Gawli's residence ever since he was externed from Bombay and made his father-in-law's house at Wadgaon-Peer his residence.

When the policemen headed by Chawan demanded to be let in into Gawli's residence to carry out the search, the dons' henchmen numbering over 100 put up a stiff resistance.

A heated argument broke out as Gawli's men formed a human chain to prevent policemen from raiding the house. Then the policemen resorted to a mild lathi -charge to enter into the house.

Soon it was a free-for-all with Gawli's men resorting to stone-pelting, forcing the policemen to run for cover. Two police jeeps were damaged in the melee. However, the policemen hit back and resorted to a full-fledged lathi -charge and after the mob dispersed, the policemen went ahead with their search operation.

The police have not confirmed if they found anything objectionable from Gawli's residence. However, they said around 30 Gawli men had been arrested on the charges of rioting, and obstructing police personnel on duty.

Meanwhile, advocate Ramesh Gawli spokesperson of Akhil Bharatiya Sena, claimed that a large number of party workers from all over Maharashtra had come to Wadgaon Pir village to meet Gawli and seek tickets for the coming elections.

The Sena was reportedly planning to contest at least 150 seats from Bombay and other cities, Ramesh Gawli said.

Gawli claimed that the police did not produce an arrest warrant or any other document. He said this was the second raid on the Gawli residence and that a similar raid had been conducted soon after Gawli, arrived in the village about a year ago.

Earlier report

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