A detailed investigation carried out by The Free Press Journal has revealed that Congress leader Pramod Gaikwad, who is the municipal councillor in Lonavla, purchased a lavish bungalow in the hill town that belonged to underworld don and drug lord Iqbal Mirchi, who was a right-hand man of Dawood Ibrahim. Gaikwad purchased the property in his wife Pooja's name in 2012, a year before Mirchi's death in 2013. This newspaper is in possession of the property deal papers, which bore the signatures of Pooja Gaikwad and Mirchi's brother Feroz Memon, who was given the power of attorney to deal on behalf of Mirchi regarding the Lonavla property.
The bungalow, called 'PG Villa', is spread over 1,000 sq mt (almost 11,000 sq ft), and is located close to the Fariyas Resort in Tungarli, Lonavla. In 2012, the property was valued at a conservative estimate of Rs 10 crore, and the sale agreement of Rs 60 lakh was paid to Memon via a demand draft drawn on HDFC Bank. This bungalow was on the list of Mirchi's properties detected by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2020 that were bought through funds generated via the narcotics business. The others included Rabia Mansion, Mariam Lodge and Sea View, all in Worli. A probe into Mirchi's assets revealed investments in real estate across Mumbai, Alibaug, Lonavla, Goa, and Delhi.
Mirchi's wife Hajra and sons Asif and Junaid were declared fugitive economic offenders under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act in February 2021 for their alleged involvement in money laundering. The ED officials moved the court for confiscation of Mirchi's 15 properties, even as five people were arrested in connection with this case.
While Pramod Gaikwad disconnected the call when the FPJ asked for his version saying “wrong number”, he later called back feigning ignorance about Mirchi's connection to his Lonavla property. “I had purchased the property from a local wine dealer and an LPG gas agency owner. This property has nothing to do with Iqbal Mirchi or any criminal,” Gaikwad said.
His wife Pooja too claimed ignorance about PG Villa registered in her name. “I have no idea about the Tungarli bungalow registered in my name. My husband does all the dealings and property investments. I'm just a simple housewife,” Pooja Gaikwad said.
