Mumbai Crime: Pandav Putra gang head, five members held for assaulting contractor

Deepak Valekar, who committed his first crime at the age of 16. In his initial days, he was associated with don Arun Gawli (right)

The Crime Branch has arrested Pandav Putra gang leader Deepak Valekar, alias Dipya, and five of his men on the charge of assaulting a contractor from Girgaon.

The cops took Valekar, 44, and the others into custody on Wednesday. They had thrashed the contractor after he said he won't be able to share 30 per cent of his profits in a project.

The police said the gang is mostly active in areas like Girgaon, Kumbharwada, Nal Bazar and Gol Deval and extorts money from hoteliers, jewelers, builders and contractors. Valekar lives in Ghaswala building, his father's property, near Gol Deval.

Valekar stabbed a man at the age of 16 following an argument. He was initially associated with the Arun Gawli gang and Tanya Koli, one of the don's shooters. He formed his own gang after Koli was killed in a police encounter.

Valekar's father Pandurang had five sons and locals used to call him Pandav Putra and the name slowly got attached to his crime company. During his days with the Gawli gang, he would wear a school uniform to avoid suspicion.

Valekar and his accomplices had 24 cases - 17 in VP Road police station - against them, including four murders and five attempted murders. Police sources said people are so scared of the gang that he has been acquitted in 21 of them.

"Whenever Valekar goes to jail, he threatens the witness or the complainant through young boys, which leads to the witness turning hostile in court," said a senior police officer. He has had four MCOCA cases against him, said the officer.

In 2011, Valekar was taken from Arthur Road jail to JJ Hospital for a check-up. During this time, he called up a builder from a western suburb demanding Rs 30 lakh from the mobile phone of a constable. Seven cops had been suspended after this episode.

In the present case, the Unit 2 of the Crime Branch has handed over the probe to the Anti-Extortion Cell.

Joint Commissioner of Police Milind Bharambe said, "There is no need to fear Valekar, anyone who has a complaint against him should contact the police. The police will act on their complaint."

Among the other gang members, Siddharth Mayekar, alias Sidhu, and Ganesh Suryavanshi, alias Gonya, face 11 cases each, while Anil Bhuvad is booked in eight cases.