Indore: Tears & tricks fail to thwart IMC’s resolute crackdown on goons

Indore: While tears rolled down from eyes of some, some resorted to violent protests as a joint team of Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and police demolished illegal houses of habitual criminals and goons in city on Tuesday. Armed with JCB and poclain machines removal gang of about 200 IMC employees, accompanied by nearly equal number of police personnel, launched the crackdown in morning and razed houses of four goons in Scheme No. 54 and Khajrana area.

“Illegally constructed houses of four criminals were demolished by a joint team of IMC and police,” said deputy municipal commissioner Mahendra Singh Chouhan, adding that the team faced resistance from the oustees at one or two places but it was dealt with strictly and smartly by the removal gang and police officials.

The day-long operation began with the house of notorious criminal Satish Bhau located at Scheme No. 54. The police team reached the site and asked Bhau’s family members, who were present inside the house, to vacate the property voluntarily. However, as expected the inmates refused to quit arguing the building was not in the name of Satish Bhau.  Failing to convince, the team with the help of women police personnel forced the family members out of the house following which IMC employees removed the household goods and other belongings to road.

Amid volleys of arguments, wailing of women and many other pressure tactics applied by the Bhau’s family members, the team razed the house using two poclain machines. In order to ensure security the police also sealed the roads leading to the house and kept shops in the area closed as long as the operation continued.

Police apply mild force to stop interference

After pulling down the house of Bhau, the removal team reached Vaibhav Laxmi Nagar on MR-10 to demolish the illegally constructed house of another goon Mahesh alias Dumpy.  Notably, the house was re-erected after it was earlier demolished by the IMC about six months ago. Though Dumpy’s name was not in the IMC list of goons who were to be targeted, on being tipped off about resurfacing of the illegal structure, the property was immediately enlisted to take action on.

Here too inmates of the house put hard efforts, including blocking the road by placing wooden planks and large rocks in the middle, to thwart the operation but to no avail. After the removal gang reached Dumpy’s house, in their last ditch effort to stop the demolition, family members of the dreaded criminal poured kerosene on their bodies and threatened to immolate self.

However, alert police personnel foiled the self immolation bid and removed them forcefully from the site ensuing a chaos like situation. In the melee, male members of the ousted family along with their children started protesting and also, pelted stones on the IMC team and police.

Police lathicharged the protesting men and also, nabbed the children to stop the interference and knocked down the three-storey building of the listed goon. They however let the errant children free with a warning after the operation was completed.  The team then moved on to demolish two more houses of listed criminals– Arif alias Ujjaini and Raja alias Ashfak — in Khajrana area under the drive. The team razed Arif’s house at Hena Palace Colony despite repeated requests of his grandmother Shakeena who tried to convince the officials that the house was not in the name of her grandson (Arif).

Similarly, when IMC team reached Raja’s place, a person claiming to be the landlord of the property tried to prevent the demolition saying it was not Raja’s house and the criminal was just his tenant. However, the determined IMC removal gang did not heed to his words and went on to demolish the illegal structure.

19 CCTV cameras secure dreaded goon’s 1,500 sq ft plush house

Apart from other valuables, the removal gang members were shocked to find as many as 19 CCTV cameras were installed in the 1,500 sq ft plush house of the dreaded criminal Satish Bhau. As soon as they entered they found the entire building was under CCTV camera surveillance. “Cameras were not only installed outside the house as normally happens, but they were virtually in every nook and corner of the house,” visibly surprised deputy municipal commissioner Mahendra Singh Chouhan said.