Another FIR filed against Ambekar, aides

Nagpur: Jaybharat Kale, former co-accused of Santosh Ambekar, has now filed a complaint against the gangster and his aides for allegedly having extorted Rs 11.25 lakh for having helped him clear his name from Balya Gawande murder case. This is the fourth offence, including one of rape, registered by city police against the gangster and his syndicate in the last two weeks.

Kale, a property dealer, stated before police that Ambekar had started threatening him with dire consequences asking for reimbursement of around Rs 1 crore that he had allegedly spent to get Kale acquitted and also to ensure provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) were not invoked. Ambekar had also boasted about having to lobby at Mantralaya with influential persons in order to get their names cleared through criminal justice system by spending hefty amounts.

Apart from Ambekar, his nephew Nilesh Kedar and their close aide Raja Armarkar too have been made co-accused in the case. An additional offence of abduction was registered against Kedar at Khapa police station under Nagpur rural police. Armarkar operated from his family owned office at Itwari.

Police said Kale was made to borrow Rs 15 lakh from Armarkar at 3% monthly interest which amounted to around Rs 45,000 per month after he had stepped out of jail following acquittal in Gawande murder case. Gawande, an arch rival of Ambekar, was murdered in 2017.

City police started a stringent crackdown on Ambekar and his aides under supervision of city police chief BK Upadhyay, Joint CP Ravindra Kadam, Addl CP, crime Nilesh Bharne and DCP Gajanan Rajmane. All the offences are being probed by crime branch.