Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): The local administration demolished three houses of Ravi Sindhi, who ran large-scale betting in Geeta Colony, here on Monday. With the black money from betting, he had built houses in Mahakal Commercial Centre, Nanakheda, Sindhi Colony and Freeganj area. Information about 10 to 11 properties of Ravi Sindhi had reached the police and action was to be taken on five of them. But till late evening only three houses had been demolished.
Despite protest, concerned staff hammers the roof of house located in Freeganj area. | FP Photo
The police had entered Ravi Sindhi’s house in Geeta Colony on the pretext of campaigning for Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) elections. The crime branch team had seized gold worth Rs 2.5 crore, silver worth Rs 70 thousand and Rs 21 lakh cash from his house, besides huge betting materials. Ravi’s brother and his nephew and three others were arrested from the spot while engaging in speculative business. Ravi Sindhi had escaped during the police raid. On his arrest, the police had declared a reward of Rs 10,000.
On Monday, under the leadership of Crime Branch in-charge probationer IPS officer Vinod Kumar Meena, the team reached Ravi Sindhi’s house located at Mahakal Commercial Centre, checked the security arrangements and then the municipal team started demolishing the house with JCB. After a struggle of about two hours, the concerned staff demolished a large part of the house. Information about 11 properties of Ravi Sindhi alias Ravi Pamnani has reached the police. How many of these properties are illegal is being ascertained. Action is being taken to destroy illegal properties. After demolishing the house of Mahakal Commercial Centre, the team reached Sindhi Colony where Ravi Sindhi’s one more house is situated. Action was taken to ground it too.
JCB machine razes Mahakal Commercial Centre located shop | FP Photo
BJP LEADERS TRY TO INTERFERE, BUT IPS OFFICER SAYS ‘NO’
After demolishing his house in Mahakal Commercial Centre and Sindhi Colony, the municipal team reached Amar Singh Marg in Freeganj to break the Fire and Ice building, its owner Rajesh Agrawal prevented the team from taking action. Freeganj Traders Association president and BJP leader Rajesh Agrawal said that he is a tenant. The Ujjain Municipal Corporation has given 48 hours notice, so how can they take action in a quarter of an hour? Madhav Nagar police station in-charge Manish Lodha tried to convince Rajesh Agrawal amidst the struggle that lasted for about half-an-hour. Former BJP corporator Santosh Vyas also reached to take his side and during this he also had a heated conversation with Lodha. Actually, there are two other partners with Ravi Sindhi in this building and they do not want the building to be broken. After the protest, the team reached the fourth building near Sundar Dairy. This house belongs to the partnership of Dinesh Phulwani and Ravi Pamnani. Before the demolition would be initiated by vacating the house, the landlord called minister Mohan Yadav and tried to get him to talk to the probationer IPS officer Vinod Meena. Vinod Meena refused to talk, saying that he would not talk to anyone other than the SP.
