The Navi Mumbai Police have invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Vicky Deshmukh, who is wanted in one murder and two extortion cases, and his gang members.
Nerul resident Sachin Garje (33), who went missing in September 2019, was allegedly murdered by Mr. Deshmukh and his gang members.
According to the police, after being kidnapped, Garje was brutally assaulted and shot dead by the gang members and dumped in the sea at Nhava Sheva. When the waves washed the body ashore, the gang members buried it at the beach. However, waves washed the sand away, again exposing the body. Eventually, two days after killing Garje, the accused burnt the body at Ransai jungle in Uran.
Four of the gang members, identified as Vikrant Koli (22), Narayan Pawale (27), Tushar Koli (25) and Rupesh Jhirale (37), were arrested. However, six others — Mr. Deshmukh, his brother Jitendra, Pritam Koli, Roshan Koli, Rakesh Koli and Parshuram Mokal — are still at large.
Given that Mr. Deshmukh has two cases of extortion registered against him with the Nhava Sheva and NRI police, and this murder case with the Nerul police, assistant police inspector Dynaneshwar Bhedodkar and senior police inspector Nivrutti Kolhatkar proposed that he and his gang members be charged under MCOCA.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Satish Govekar has approved the application.
Mr. Deshmukh started his criminal activities in 1998 and has since been booked in 31 cases, including robbery, extortion, attempt to murder and murder. In 2008 and 2011, MCOCA was invoked against him, but he was acquitted. Of the 31 cases, he was acquitted in 17.
“Whenever a case is registered against him, he tries to influence the complainant, and in most cases they turn hostile. In many incidents, complainants are afraid to come forward to register a case against him. Hence, we would like to appeal to the public that if he has threatened or extorted money from anyone, they should come forward and we will not disclose their identity,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Pravinkumar Patil said.
