The Mulund police have arrested the owner, manager and two other staff members of Chandni Bar for allegedly assaulting and robbing a 37-year-old man on April 3. As per the police, the owner, Balindra Choudhary, 45, and his staff allegedly snatched the phone of an NGO worker, Shamsher Shaikh, and beat him up over suspicions of being a police informant.
Alleged Assault And Accusations Stemming From Chandni Bar Visit
Shaikh works with an NGO in Thane’s Kopri and is a frequent visitor at Chandni Bar. The arrested accused felt there was a raid on the bar on March 6 right after his visit.
On April 3, when he revisited the bar, Choudhary allegedly snatched his phone away, cornered him and took him to the first floor of the building where he was assaulted. Shaikh said in his police statement, “They thought I shot a video on my phone of bar dancers and sent it to the police as a tip-off. Choudhary said he found the police number on my phone, which confirmed my connection.”
Details Of The Victim's Statement
As per his statement, along with the owner, the bar manager also allegedly slapped him and took Rs6,500 from his pocket. He was allegedly locked in the staff room for hours without his phone. “On April 4, at around 2.30am, they hailed an auto rickshaw and dropped me near Airoli bridge,” Shaikh told the police, adding that he later went to a hospital for a medical examination. He added, “I couldn’t move properly due to injuries and rested for a few days before approaching the police and registering an FIR,”
Apart from Choudhary, the other three arrested are Nilesh Shukla, 33, Prakash Rai, 56, and Abhay Gautam, 42. They have been remanded to judicial custody by the court.
