Nagpur: A team of crime branch from city police have raided the house of jailed gangster Santosh Ambekar and seized a set of five four-wheelers including a BMW car, four motorcycles and a silver chair collectively worth Rs 2.51 crore.
Additional Commissioner of Police Nilesh Bharne informed that the raid was conducted under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, invoked against Santosh Ambekar in a cheating and extortion case.
He informed that the crime branch teams have carried out searches at Ambekar’s house in Itwari area for two days and seized his immovable properties. Many other properties would be seized in coming days, he added.
Ambekar and his 11 accomplices have been charged under MCOCA last week for duping businessman of Rs five crore in a property deal and also issuing threats to him for extortion of Rs one crore. Soon after, a series of offences were registered against him within a fortnight at Lakadganj, Ambazari, Sonegaon and Tehsil police stations.
Along with Ambekar, Nilesh Kedar (34), a resident of Darodkar Chowk; Chandan Choudhary (44), a resident of Mumbai; Juhi Choudhary (39), a resident of Mumbai; Ankit Patel (31), a resident of Gujarat; Ajay Patel (39), a resident of Mumbai and Rajendra Armarkar (53), a resident of Sitabuldi, were arrested by the police, so far.
The cops have also seized Rs 13.66 lakh cash from Juhi Choudhary, Rs 45 lakh cash from Arvind Patel, currency counting machine from Ajay Patle and Rs 84 lakh cash from gold ornaments worth Rs 1.36 lakh from Rajendra Armarkar.
It means that the police have seized properties worth Rs 5.30 crore including Rs 1.42 crore cash. Add CP Bharne also said that the police have collected concrete evidence in all the cases registered against Ambekar and his accomplices this months.
“More than 30 criminal cases were registered against him in the city in last 20 years including brutal murder cases of Balya Gawande, Ananta Soni and Anil Ninawe and firing at a jewellery shop,” said Bharne. Police investigation revealed that Ambekar had invested money in properties and business in Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai and Bangaluru. He was also rotating money among businessmen and criminals and charging hefty rate of interest per month. MCOCA was invoked against Ambekar four times in the past. But he was acquitted by court in all the cases.
Ambekar was arrested by police this month for duping a businessman of Rs five crore in a property deal and also issuing threats to him for extortion of Rs one crore. The complaint was lodged against Ambekar by Jigar Pareshbhai Patel, a resident of Kapadvanj, District Kheda, Gujarat, with Sitabuldi police earlier this month accusing Ambekar and his accomplices for duping him of Rs five crore and demanding extortion of Rs one crore. Under the guidance of CP Dr Bhushan Kumar Upadhyaya, Joint CP Ravindra Kadam, the action was made by ACPs Sudhir Nandanwar, Kishore Jadhav, PIs Santosh Khandekar and Narendra Hiwre and staff
Appeal to come forward against Ambekar
ADDL CP Nilesh Bharne appealed the citizens to approach the police or contact him on his mobile number 750001666 if they have any complaint against Ambekar. “The gangster has duped hundreds of citizens in the past. People can now approach the police and should not harbour any fear,” said Bharne
