Finally, Ippa gang booked under MCOCA

Nagpur: City police have invoked stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) against 13 members of Ippa gang on Monday. This is the first action under MCOCA this year. Irfan Khan alias Ippa, the gang leader, had earlier faced action under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act (MPDA).
Tehsil police had registered an offence of attempt to murder against Ippa and his gang for their alleged role in assaulting their rival Feroze Khan on December 25 last year. MCOCA was added in the same offence following approval from Additional CP, south region, Shamrao Digawkar. Tehsil police under PI Vaibhav Jadhav had sent a proposal to slap MCOCA against the gang on February 22.

The gang had also attacked a crime branch squad near Motibagh railway tracks in the early hours of December 26, when the cops had gone to round them up in the attempt to murder case. Another offence was registered against the gang at Pachpaoli police station for attacking the cops.

There had been a spate of allegations against the police department, including a senior officer, for giving the gang a long rope. One of the gang members, booked in the case registered at Pachpaoli police station, was let off by crime branch after being nabbed. There were reports that a senior cop from Civil Lines had intervened to let the goon go free.

The top brass had also tried to explain away the largesse to a goon who was part of the sensational Sangam Beer bar murder case. According to a source in the police department, a builder identified as Vijay is sponsoring the gang’s activities.

TOI had exposed the gang’s activities and threats at Dobi Nagar along with their closeness to some cops in the department. After TOI’s revelations, Ippa and Immu Kaliya had surrendered dramatically before the court. Police had earlier placed Pawan Moryani and Shaikh Mohsin under arrest in the case. Apart from these four no one has been arrested so far.

Refuting the allegations against the police department, Zonal DCP Rahul Maknikar had claimed that there had been several raids in Dobi and Mominpura to round up the gang. In the top brass, CP Venkatesham claimed to have been relentlessly pursuing the arrest of the gang.