Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
 |
| Room constructed by the Bhuru to run gambling den. Rohit Jain was killed in this room. |
Rise of Bhuru alias Sk. Akram is akin to what is shown in Hindi blockbusters. Just a decade back the lanky youth used to ride on bi-cycle. However after diversifying into gambling business and other activities on other side of law, the small time goon soon amassed huge wealth. From a small house in Jaripatka, the goon now boasts of two big houses, including one in Sitabuldi, two four wheelers, 6 motorcycles and agriculture land. The total wealth with the goons is estimated to be in range of couple of lakhs.
In fact Bhuru first made an impression in the area as a good smartian. He turned over his mother who was into illicit sale of liquor in the Vasantrao Naik Slums. This was exactly 10-years back. Having got a foothold in the area, the goon soon started extorting money from youth who were into thefts. Bhuru would expect 50 per cent returns in turn for his patronage.
From 2004, Bhuru started the rummy club at the slums and thereafter there was no looking back. Having got patronage of some lower rung policemen of Nagpur city police, the business soon prospered. The residents stated the rummy club would start at 8 pm and activities there would continue till early hours of next day. Throughout the night, people would be served liquor and eatables. Successive police parties tried to raid but had to beat hasty retreat when they came under attack.
The people of the area would often make anonymous complaints to Sitabuldi police station about visit of anti-social elements and operation of gambling den. But for strange reason local police did not act upon, and finally slum dwellers were forced to take law into their own hands, resulting in Tuesday night bloodshed.
With money now multiplying Bhuru started his own gang, by recruiting youth in the slums who would indulge in all sort of criminal activities in city. In fact, it is now learnt that the goon was operating a gang of thieves. The stolen material would be disposed of by Bhuru through his channel.
But the effect of ill gotten money soon went to the goon’s head, who started abusing the womenfolk of the area, dominated mostly by labourers family from Chhattisgarh. In before last night, a few days back, Bhuru sight fell on a well looking teenager. He tried to abuse the girl but had to beat hasty retreat when womenfolk united and stood in his way.
The first jolt to Bhuru was when Crime Branch busted the rummy club. Jt. Commissioner of Police, Sanjay Saxena, ordered the raid, after getting a tip off. This was the first successful raid and it had the impact of emboldening the residents in the area that the goon can be overpowered.
After the Crime Branch raid, Bhuru started operating from different shacks, instead of one large place. He had occupied six rooms in the area where the rummy club now functioned. Now it remains to be seen whether police are able to break the back of the goon’s operation of he is back to business after release from jail.
Comments
Post a Comment