Gangster Evades Law, Secures Passport, Travels Abroad; Police Launch Probe

Pune-based gangster Nilesh Ghaywal, a notorious figure with over a dozen serious criminal cases, including murder, attempted murder, and extortion, has evaded authorities by obtaining a passport and visa to travel abroad, prompting a full-scale police investigation into potential document fraud. The late-40s gangster, who recently faced charges in a violent road rage incident in Pune's Kothrud area, is believed to have left India within the last week, according to credible intelligence.

Despite a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against him and a court order mandating the surrender of his passport, Ghaywal's escape highlights systemic vulnerabilities in India's passport issuance process, especially for individuals under scrutiny. Senior Pune police officials confirmed the probe on Monday, vowing to trace his movements and uncover any complicity in the Regional Passport Office.

The sequence of events traces back to early September, when Ghaywal applied for a 'tatkal' (fast-track) passport from the Pune Regional Passport Office under the alias 'Nilesh Bansilal Gaywal', listing a residence in Ahilyanagar city's Gauri Ghumat area. During mandatory address verification, Kotwali police station reported him as "not available", forwarding negative remarks to the passport office—a standard red flag that should have halted issuance. Yet, sources suspect irregularities, possibly involving forged documents or insider facilitation, allowed him to secure the passport swiftly.

Ahilyanagar Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge detailed the verification failure in a press release, noting the address on Maliwada Road yielded no trace of the applicant. This lapse enabled Ghaywal to obtain a visa—destination undisclosed—and board an international flight, bypassing the LOC designed to flag suspects at immigration checkpoints.

Ghaywal's criminal dossier paints a picture of entrenched underworld influence in Pune, evolving from a close associate of gangster Gaja Marne in the early 2000s to a rival faction leader after a bloody split that ignited gang wars across the city. Booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and detained previously under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act targeting slumlords and bootleggers, he has evaded full crackdowns through a web of local networks.

The latest trigger was a September 15 road rage clash in Kothrud, where five to six of his associates allegedly shot at a 36-year-old man and assaulted a teenager, escalating tensions in an area plagued by rising vigilantism. Pune police, who activated the LOC post-incident via the state CID and Bureau of Immigration, now suspect Ghaywal fled to evade imminent arrest warrants, potentially to safe havens in Southeast Asia or the Middle East—common bolt-holes for Indian fugitives.

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Authorities are intensifying efforts, including Interpol coordination for a possible Red Corner Notice if Ghaywal doesn't return voluntarily, while scrutinising passport office protocols amid broader national concerns over fake documents fuelling organised crime. This incident echoes high-profile escapes like that of Dawood Ibrahim associates, underscoring the need for digitised verification and AI-driven fraud detection in passport services.

As the probe unfolds, Pune's law enforcement vows no leniency, with teams dispatched to his known hideouts and financial trails under surveillance. Ghaywal's flight not only disrupts ongoing cases but also risks emboldening his syndicate, testing Maharashtra's resolve against urban gang ecosystems.

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