Chaddi Baniyan gang member arrested by cops, 27 yrs after jumping bail

Shankar Bajirao Kale in police custody

A member of the notorious Chaddi Baniyan gang was recently arrested 27 years after he and three others went underground after receiving bail. The accused, Shankar Bajirao Kale, 65, allegedly took part in a violent robbery in a Malad East building on October 3, 1996. During the incident, five members of the gang attacked a landlord and a responding police team with stones and sharp objects, inflicting serious injuries. In response, the cops opened fire, resulting in the death of a gang member on the spot. The rest - Shankar Bajirao Kale, Ambadas Kale, Idris and another accused, who has since passed away - managed to flee with cash and jewellery worth approximately Rs 3.5 lakh.

Following a thorough investigation, the Dindoshi police arrested the quartet, had booked the accused under Sections 395, 397, 307, 332, 324 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, in Aurangabad and recovered half of the loot. However, after spending just four to six months in jail, the accused were released on bail and subsequently went underground.

An old photo that helped nab Kale

According to police sources, PSI Sandeep Vatre of the Dindoshi police - under the guidance of Smita Patil, DCP, zone XII, and Senior Inspector Irfan Shaikh - prepared a list to nab the absconding accused. Shankar was arrested from Juhu Tara Road in Santacruz, produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody.

According to the police, the robbery occurred at Ellora Society, located in front of Shivji Chowk around 2 am. The assailants attacked a family with sharp objects. Upon learning of the incident, PSI Digambar Shivtare arrived at the scene with his colleagues. When the police asked them to surrender, they responded by pelting stones and attacking them with choppers, seriously injuring Shivtare.

"After the accused jumped bail, the Dindoshi police visited their village but found no one there, leading to the case being shelved. Later, DCP Patil directed the Dindoshi police to locate the absconding suspects. With the help of sources, PSI Vatre learned that Kale was living in Santacruz. After a month-long search, Vatre and his team found him in September, but it was challenging to confirm his identity as he looked different," said a police officer.

"Without approaching Kale directly, the police gathered information from the local community, even obtaining his Aadhaar card. They also studied old and current photographs and enlisted the help of experts who confirmed that the person in the images was indeed the same individual," the officer added.

The arrest

On October 2, while Kale was shopping for groceries in his locality, a police officer called out his name. Kale immediately turned around, prompting police officers stationed nearby to take him into custody for questioning. "Initially, he refused to provide any information, but later he confessed and revealed details about the robbery. He revealed that one of the other absconding accused had died already a couple of years ago," the officer added.

When this reporter visited Ellora Society to learn about the incident, he found that the residents concerned no longer lived there. However, some still remember the robbery and were still traumatised by it. A woman recalled, "I still remember that the accused who was shot dead. He fell in front of my house." Before she could share more, her family members intervened, and she retreated inside.

The reporter sought to speak with PSI Digambar Shivatare, the complainant in the case but learned from a batchmate that he had died two years ago. At the time of his death, he was serving as an inspector at the Colaba police station. The officer was the younger brother of Vijay Shivtare of Shiv Sena, who had served as a minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.