Bangali's aides sent to police custody

PUNE: The Pune Cantonment court on Friday sent five members belonging to the Feroz Bangali gang to police custody till May 27 under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The suspects are Mohsin Shaikh (24), Imtiaz Shaikh (24), Akram Shaikh (40), Fareed Shaikh (29) and Yunus Shaikh (28), all residents of Kondhwa.
Inspector Milind Thosar of the Kondhwa police station produced the suspects before the judicial magistrate first class A M Patankar at 2.30 pm.
Demanding a 14-day police custody, assistant public prosecutor Rajani Naik told the court that custodial interrogation of the suspects was required since they have committed serious offences like murder, attempt to murder, robbery, theft, extortion and cheating in the Pune district.
According to Naik, Bangali and the others have an organised crime syndicate. The money they receive from committing the above mentioned offences is used for purchasing or grabbing properties.
Also, the police will go after the custody of Bangali, who is lodged at the Yerawada central jail, after seeking permission from the court.
Defence lawyers Prakash Suryavanshi, Vijaykumar Kamble, Sanjay Navgire and Yogesh Pawar opposed the prosecutions plea. They said the offences committed by the gang, like forcibly taking possession of properties from citizens, fell under the purview of the civil court and that the accused should be sent to magisterial custody.
Meanwhile, the court sent the suspects to police custody as it said that the offences committed by them was serious in nature.
Assistant commissioner of police (Wanowrie division) Ramesh Biwal is investigating the case under MCOCA.