How Pune gangster Nilesh Ghaywal hoodwinked police, fled to London on invalid passport

Pune gangster Nilesh Ghaywal

A Pune-based gangster, facing over a dozen criminal cases including murder and extortion, allegedly secured a passport and travelled to London despite police authorities explicitly reporting that he was "not available" at his declared address.

Nilesh Bilesh Ghaywal, a former associate of notorious gangster Gaja Marne, is now the subject of a look-out circular (LOC) issued by the Pune City Police. The alert was triggered after police discovered his international travel during a probe into a series of violent attacks in the city's Kothrud area.

The police action stems from two incidents on the night of September 17. According to a report by The Indian Express, members of the Ghaywal gang allegedly opened fire on a resident, Prakash Dhumal and separately attacked a 19-year-old student, Vaibhav Sathe, with sharp weapons. Both victims, described by police as innocent individuals with no prior disputes with the gang, sustained injuries and were hospitalised.

Following the registration of two FIRs for attempted murder, police arrested five alleged associates of the gang. The stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was invoked against Ghaywal and eight of his members.

During the investigation, authorities seized several of Ghaywal's vehicles but soon discovered he was no longer in the country. He had allegedly left India and reached London, the police was cited by The Indian Express as confirming.

This development prompted a deeper look into how a man with such an extensive criminal record could obtain a passport. According to Somnath Gharge, Superintendent of Police (SP), Ahilyanagar, Ghaywal had applied for a Tatkal passport in 2019, declaring a residence in what is now Ahilyanagar.

"The police received the passport verification case online on December 23, 2019," Gharge told The Indian Express. "The personnel at the Kotwali police station conducted verification on the address... but the applicant (Ghaywal) was not found at the spot."

Consequently, the then SP of Ahilyanagar police gave a ‘not available’ remark on the case and forwarded it to the regional passport office in Pune on January 16, 2020.

This status is considered a negative address verification report, raising serious questions about how the passport was subsequently issued. A probe is now underway to determine the exact circumstances.

Police records indicate Ghaywal's criminal history spans decades. He was a known henchman for Gaja Marne between 2000 and 2003 before the two had a falling out, leading to violent clashes between their factions. He has faced preventive detention under the MPDA Act and prosecution under MCOCA and was out on bail at the time of his alleged departure.

Complicating matters further, the police revealed that a High Court order had previously instructed Ghaywal to surrender his passport to the authorities. An investigation is ongoing to uncover how he circumvented this legal barrier and managed to travel abroad.

Police also confirmed that Ghaywal's children are studying overseas, while he was allegedly directing criminal activities in Pune through his gang members.