The city police are looking into allegations that their counterparts from Gurgaon killed gangster Sandeep Gadoli in a staged shootout at a hotel in suburban Mumbai, with the incident sparking a debate on alleged extrajudicial killings by Indian authorities.
The crime branch is recording the statements of witnesses, including Gadoli’s girlfriend who was with him at the time of the incident, while officers said no case has been registered against the Gurgaon policemen though eight of them were taken to the Mumbai police commissioner’s office on Tuesday.
According to reports, the Gurgaon Police team arrived in the city based on a tip-off that the accused, wanted in Haryana for three dozen cases including eight murders, was hiding at the Airport Metro hotel in Andheri.
As soon as the team barged into his room, Gadoli opened fire, following which the police retaliated and the gangster suffered bullet injuries, said sources.
Officials say the mob boss kept travelling from one city to another to escape the police and ran an extortion racket while on the move.
Human rights activists have for years accused authorities of executing hundreds of people in make-believe shootouts while taking on militants and organised crime syndicates in parts of the country.
Dilip Rupwate, the area ACP, said that if crime branch officials find anything incriminating in an investigation, they generally approach the local police and register a case against the suspects.
“But, as of now, no case has been filed against Gurgaon Police here,” he said.
Gadoli had a reward of Rs 1.25 lakh on his head and was in the news last year over the killing of Gurgaon municipal councillor Binder Gujjar’s driver in October.
Officials said such cases are usually investigated by the state CID, but since policemen from another state are involved, the probe was handed over to the crime branch.
