Real estate boom lures underworld

GUNNING FOR LAND

It Has Pumped Crores Into Many Projects

Mateen Hafeez & S Ahmed Ali I TNN

Mumbai: The arrest of four hitmen who wanted to eliminate a city-based builder has once again brought the builder-underworld nexus into the spotlight.

In the past, builders were arrested for using the underworld to either get a plot of land vacated or to grab property. Now with the real estate boom, the underworld has directly entered the construction business and is learnt to have invested crores of rupees in various projects, said a crime branch officer.

Gangster Ashwin Naik, currently lodged at the Kalyan jail and wheelchair bound, is among those trying to resurface; he is learnt to have contacted a few developers in the city, in the hope of a stake.

Growing involvement of the underworld also came to light through a Rs 500-crore plot dispute at Parel in which, the police said, Baba Udaynath Maharaj tried to have a builder killed. The Maharaj who ran a math at Satara, came to Mumbai a decade ago and stayed at Kalachowkie. Hundreds of policemen, politicians, a section of developers, struggling film actors and models were said to be in touch with him.

“He told us that he was kidnapped on the instructions of Rashmikant Shah, head of Vijay group of developers, in the second week of January this year. He was taken to Kalyan jail where Maharaj was forced to meet jailed gangster Ashwin Naik. The gangster warned Maharaj to give up a redevelopment project. Upset with the threat, Maharaj gave a supari to kill Shah,’’ the accused have told the police.

Maharaj then allegedly contacted Vijay Warkar, NCP Mumbai’s vice-president, and hatched a conspiracy to kill Shah in the first week of February. Warkar, now behind bars, was provided with a photograph of Shah. Warkar is allegedly associated with the Chhota Rajan gang and according to the Juhu police he had hired the shooters. There are allegations that another builder had also taken help from Chhota Rajan in this case. The probe is on.

The shooters were caught on February 25 when they were waiting for Shah to come out of Hotel Holiday Inn. Warkar’s brother Sanjay, also a Chhota Rajan gangster, was gunned down in an encounter in Chennai three years ago. Sanjay was said to be known to several developers in the city. The police suspect that the investigation of this land dispute could provide vital information about the buildermafia connections.

“On many occasions, gangsters call up builders either to threaten them or to do a project together. A section of builders is also using the underworld to stop their rivals. The crime branch is therefore probing all new projects, developers, and possible link of the underworld in any project,’’ said a senior police official. Several slum rehab schemes are among those being investigated by the police.

Elusive don Chhota Rajan’s wife Sujata and his brother Prakash Nikhalje have already been arrested for threatening developers in Chembur and using their company, Khushi Constructions, to expand into real estate. Similarly, Dawood Ibrahim’s brothers are alleged to have funded construction of the Sara-Sahara shopping complex at Crawford Market.

Joint commissioner of police (law and order) Arup Patnaik said, “We will definitely take action if we find any underworld-builder nexus.’’

mateen.hafeez@timesgroup.com
ahmed.ali@timesgroup.com

The Times of India, March 12, 2007