Mob of 21 assaults cops, frees notorious criminal from Kalyan

Two cops injured after team of 10 Bandra cops was attacked with stones and bottles by family members and neighbours of Abbas Irani, dreaded chain-snatcher with more than 100 cases against him

Try as they might, the Mumbai police just don't seem to be able to catch hold of wanted chain snatcher Abbas Irani alias Abbas Khan. After missing the chance to arrest him at his big, fat wedding and subsequent honeymoon in January, cops decided to have another go. But the latest attempt went awry in the worst way possible. On April 10, when 10 policemen from the Bandra police station entered Irani's Ambivli home, a mob of 21, including women, pelted them with stones and drove them out, critically injuring one cop. In the ensuing chaos, Irani found an opportunity to flee once again.

Arresting Irani has become a cursed mission for the cops. This was evident on Wednesday, when around 9:45 pm, a team of 10 cops from the Bandra police station went to his Ambivli residence to nab him. They managed to arrest him and bring him out of the house, but that's as far as they could go.

Abbas Irani with his wife Fatima

'He managed to flee'

"The police took him out and were about to drag him into the car when a mob of over 20, including women, started pelting stones and alcohol bottles on the team. During all of this, PSI Bhimsen Gaikwad got injured after being hit with a stone on his mouth. He fell after an alcohol bottle was broken on his head. Other cops who got injured let go of Irani during the mob attack and he managed to flee," said a resident who witnessed the incident.

Also Read: Are cops waiting for invitation to arrest notorious criminal?

Girish Anavkar, senior police inspector from Bandra police station said, "Our police team was  attacked when they went to catch the chain snatcher in Ambivli. A group of 20 people, including women, pelted stones at them in the dark. Sub inspector Gaikwad and constable Ashok Patil have been injured."

The Khadkpada police have registered an FIR against the 21 people from the mob, including women, under sections 353, 332, 326, 224, 225, 504, 506(2), 143, 147, 149 of the Indian Penal Code.

This is not the first time Irani has slipped from the hands of cops. Following his wedding in January, which mid-day reported about in, 'Are cops waiting for invitation to arrest notorious criminal?' cops had formed a special team to arrest him. But they returned empty-handed, as by the time they reached his home, he had already left for his honeymoon with wife Fatima. mid-day reported about the failed attempt on January 11 in, 'Special Thane team fails to nab conman before he flees for honeymoon.'

Caught only on camera

After that, he got back home and was seen roaming freely in the area. mid-day had even shared video footage where he was clearly seen in Ambivli with Thane police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, but he failed to ask his team to take action in the matter.

A few cops said they have not been able to arrest him so far because whenever they any team goes to Ambivli to catch him or any other notorious accused, locals, including the women from Irani's family, try to attack the police, forcing them to return empty-handed. This has been happening for years now, because of which cops are not courageous enough to arrest accused from there.

Irani is also protected from police action because of his family's connections; his mother claims to be a member of a powerful political party. In addition that, his gang members Jafar Ghulam Hussain, Faisal Ali Yusuf Ali Shaikh, Ali Hasan, Firoj Irani serve as his lookouts.

Over 100 cases have been registered against Irani and his gang in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. As many as 40 cases of theft have been filed in Thane alone, while more than 30 have been filed in Delhi. Sources revealed that the Vadodara police are also in pursuit of the crook for stealing a bike just before he headed to Kalyan for his wedding.

Also View: Crimes in Kalyan: Rapes, molestation, murders and robberies

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!