Ravindranath Angre (born 8 July 1956) is a former police officer in the Maharashtra Police Department. [1] He is known for his extrajudicial killings of 54 suspected criminals, mostly linked to organized crime. These killings have led him to be characterized as an "encounter specialist". [2] He joined the Congress in November 2018. [3]
Ravindranath Angre was born on 8 July 1956 in Mumbai. After completing his schooling, he received a B.A from Mumbai University. Once he completed his education he joined the police force as a Sub-Inspector in 1983. His batchmates include officers like Vijay Salaskar, Pradeep Sharma, Praful Bhosle and Vinayak Saude. [4] Angre has shot dead 33 notorious gangsters in Mumbai, and 21 notorious criminals in Thane district. [2] His special achievements include gunning down Manchekar Gang, including Gang leader Suresh Manchekar, breaking the back of Amar Naik Gang in Mumbai [5] and being involved in the largest arms seizure in Maharashtra Police records until date. This arms seizure took place in 1998 and included 11 Type 56 (Chinese copy of AK 47) rifles, more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition and around 200 grenades. [6]
He was accused of extortion in 2008 by a Thane-based builder. He was acquitted of all charges by the Thane District Sessions Court in 2011. [7] Until his reinstatement, he joined an NGO named Samarth Thane to address and resolve civic issues. [8] After reinstatement he was transferred Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra which has had trouble with Naxalite insurgency. He was assigned to the control room and not to field duty. In November 2018, he left the Bhartiya Janata Party and formally joined the Indian National Congress. [3]
The Mumbai Police is the police department of the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Mumbai. The force's motto is "Sadrakṣaṇāya Khalanigrahaṇāya".
Arun Gulab Gawli also known as Arun Gulab Ahir, is an Indian politician, underworld don and retired gangster. Gawli and his brother Kishor (Pappa) entered the Mumbai underworld in the 1970s, when they joined the "Byculla Company", a criminal gang led by Rama Naik and Babu Reshim, operating in the central Mumbai areas of Byculla, Parel and Saat Rasta. In 1988, after Rama Naik was killed in a police encounter, Gawli took over the gang and began operating it from his residence, Dagdi Chawl. Under his control, the gang controlled most criminal activities in the central Mumbai areas. Throughout the late eighties and nineties, Gawli's gang was involved in a power struggle with Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company gang. Gawli is also the founder of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena political party based in Maharashtra.
Daya Nayak is an Indian police assistant inspector with the Mumbai police. He joined Mumbai police - then known as Bombay - in 1995, and rose to fame as an encounter-specialist in the late 1990s. As a member of the Detection Unit, he gunned down more than 80 gangsters of the Mumbai underworld. In 2006, he was temporarily suspended, based on allegations of criminal links and disproportionate income by a journalist. The Anti-Corruption Bureau could not find any evidence against him, and he was reinstated by the Mumbai Police in 2012. He was transferred to Nagpur in January 2014, and suspended in July 2015 after he reportedly declined to join his new posting at Nagpur fearing his family's safety. The transfer order was cancelled in August 2015, and Nayak was reinstated in January 2016.
An encounter killing, often simply called an encounter, is an extrajudicial killing by police or the armed forces in South Asia, supposedly in self-defence when they encounter suspected gangsters or terrorists. The officers typically described the incidents as a shootout situation, often allegedly starting when a criminal grabs for the gun of a police officer. The term encounter came into widespread use for such incidents in the late 20th century.
Suresh Budharmal Kalani, known popularly as Pappu Kalani is an Indian criminal-politician from Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra.
Pradeep Sharma is a former officer in the police force of Mumbai, India. Sharma attained notability as an "encounter specialist" with the Mumbai Encounter Squad and was involved with the deaths of as many as 312 criminals. On 31 August 2008 he was suspended from the Mumbai police on charges of corruption but was reinstated on 16 August 2017 after he was proven innocent of those charges. Sharma resigned from Mumbai police in July 2019 after a 35 year long career. He officially joined the ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra on September 13, 2019 and contested from Nalasopara seat in the Maharashtra assembly polls but lost to Bahujan Vikash Aghadi's candidate Kshitij Hitendra Thakur by a margin of 43,729 votes.
Aftab Ahmed Khan was an Indian police officer (IPS)-turned-politician from Mumbai, noted for his encounter killings of gangsters from the Mumbai organized crime syndicates. He is also known as the founder of Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) in 1990.
Gopal Rajwani was a criminal-politician with the Shiv Sena party, from Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra. Formerly associated with the ganglord Dawood Ibrahim, he joined the Shiv Sena in 1996. He was killed when he was appearing in a court case at Ulhasnagar in January 2000.
Detection Unit consisted of several high-profile officers of Mumbai Police. The squad primarily dealt with members of the Mumbai underworld and other criminal gangs.
Ali Baba Budesh was a notorious Indian extortionist and underworld mobster, based in Bahrain. He was mostly active in 1990s. Fearing backlash from the Mumbai police, Budesh fled to Bahrain in the late eighties, where he opened up his new base of operations in the capital city of Manama.He died in coma as he was suffering from sugar related illness.
Vijay Salaskar, AC was an Indian police inspector and encounter specialist with the Mumbai police. He was widely credited with killing 75–80 criminals in encounters – most of these were members of the Arun Gawli gang. Salaskar was killed while fighting terrorists in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Captured terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab claimed responsibility for the killing. Before his death Salaskar was head of the Anti-Extortion Cell, Mumbai. His patriotism and bravery was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra on 26 January 2009.
Sachin Hindurao Vaze is a former Indian police officer who served as an Assistant Police Inspector in Mumbai Police. He was dismissed from service by Mumbai Police Commissioner under Article 311 (2) (b) without a departmental enquiry. He is currently in the custody of the National Investigation Agency for his alleged involvement in the Antilia bomb scare and the murder of Mansukh Hiren. He was a member of Shiv Sena.
The 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout was a gunbattle that occurred on 16 November 1991 at the Lokhandwala Complex, Bombay, between seven gangsters led by Maya Dolas and members of the Mumbai Police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) led by the then Additional Commissioner of Police, A. A. Khan. The four-hour-long shootout was termed as India's "first daylight encounter" and was videographed and conducted in full view of the public. It ended in the deaths of all seven gangsters, including Maya Dolas, Dilip Buwa and Anil Pawar.
Manohar Arjun “Manya” Surve, was an Indian criminal in Mumbai. He was one of the educated gangsters who graduated from college and was very well known for challenging and defeating existing gangs.
D. Sivanandhan is the former Police Commissioner of Mumbai, promoted as part of the aftermath of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. He is India's one of the most well-known and highly regarded Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. His career spanned multiple high-profile postings over 35 years and he is known for his use of strategy & intelligence to uphold the rule of law.
Jyotirmoy Dey, also known as Jyotendra Dey, Commander J, and J Dey, was an Indian journalist, crime and investigations editor for Mid-Day and an expert on the Mumbai underworld. He was shot to death by motorcycle-borne sharpshooters on 11 June 2011.
Dawood Ibrahim ( ) is an Indian mafia gangster, drug kingpin, and a wanted terrorist from Dongri, Mumbai. He reportedly heads the Indian organised crime syndicate D-Company, which he founded in Mumbai in the 1970s. Ibrahim is wanted on charges including murder, extortion, targeted killing, drug trafficking, and terrorism.
Anand Pal Singh was an Indian gangster mainly active in the cities of Rajasthan. He was a most-wanted gangster with a reward of ₹10 lakh on his head. He was accused of multiple murders as well as extortion.
Pradip Sawant is an Indian Police Officer, currently serving as the DCP Security Branch in Mumbai Police. He is a recipient of the President's Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2002. He was behind more than 300 encounters in Mumbai during his stint as DCP between the years 2000 and 2003.
Lawrence Bishnoi is an Indian gangster. He has two dozen criminal cases against him including ones for murder and extortion. He has denied these allegations. His gang is affiliated with over 700 shooters across the country. He is in custody in Tihar Jail.