Bhayendar : After dodging the police for five long years, hardcore criminal and kingpin of Kashimira’s dreaded Patel gang – Ashraf Gulam Rasool Patel alias Tatya, 54, finally landed in the custody of the local crime branch (LCB) unit of the Thane (rural) police on Thursday night.
Tatya has around 47 serious offences including murder, attempt to murder, extortion, rioting, land grab, illegal possession of arms and trespassing registered against him at various police stations in the Mira Road division.
Also booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in 2005, Tatya had been evading the police dragnet after he allegedly gunned down his own bodyguard Arif Sultan Shaikh, 35, in Kashigaon on May 20, 2011. Traps had been laid on multiple occasions to nab Tatya, but he always managed to give a slip to the police team.
Tatya ran out of luck on Thursday night when, acting on a specific tip-off, an LCB team apprehended him at Goregaon on Thursday. The high-end Audi car Tatya was caught roaming in had a fake number pate, the police said.
“We are proud of our LCB personnel who have shown determination in discharging their duties to nab such a notorious and elusive fugitive,” said Deputy SP Suhas Bawache.
A month ago, Tatya’s son Hashir, 19, who was absconding in an illegal possession of arms case against him at the local police station, was arrested. Galloping towards new heights in criminal records, the Patel siblings — five brothers and a sister (two bumped off by rival gangs) controlled a thriving syndicate in the Mira Road-Kashimira belt in true Mafiosi style.
Of late, the Patels have been using the shield of being prominent office-bearers of different political parties to carry on their illegal acts. Their political tag has also deterred people from lodging fresh complaints, making their ”real” mission successful.
