Local residents, associates of criminals keep a watch for police and warn each other, gathering in large numbers to prevent arrests

A CCTV grab of DN Nagar police bundling accused Firoz Fayyaz Khan into a school van on August 27; A local resident seen pelting the van and cops with stones in an attempt to stop them; (right) Khan posed as a cop and stole Rs 1 lakh from a bag in Jogeshwari

The footage of an attack on a team of DN Nagar police by the notorious Iranian gang members in Ambivali recently, proves again that criminals have no fear of the law. In the recent arrest of a criminal at Ambivali, the cops had to bundle him into a school van even as locals threw huge stones at the police in an attempt to stop them.

Many cops are injured and police vehicles damaged in such arrests. As per Mumbai police records, most of these fake cops, chain snatchers, and mobile snatchers are from Ambivali village, as was Firoz Fayyaz Khan, who posed as a fake cop in the complaint that DN Nagar police acted on recently.

In some cases the cops have had to return empty handed, “because women rain empty beer bottles and pelt stones at us and our vehicles,” said a police officer.
“If one person comes to know that somebody has been arrested, the message spreads like wildfire and hundreds of people gather to set the nabbed criminal free from our custody,” said a crime branch officer from Mumbai police.

The Kalachowkie police grabbed Kabul Jafri and dragged him from the railway tracks to the other side

“The police teams generally, don’t inform their local counterparts fearing information leakage. This is happening only because of the political approach to not end the menace of these Iranians. Why are these handful of Iranians so powerful in their den at Ambivali? Are their numbers bigger than those of Maharashtra police? Why are the Iranians not being eradicated till date? The answer is vote bank,” said a police officer, whose friend was injured in one of the operations at Ambivali.

In the viral CCTV footage, the locals are seen pelting stones at a team of DN Nagar police while the accused Firoz Fayyaz Khan, 62, is being taken to a school van by at Ambivali.

“Any police team — visiting Ambivali to arrest an accused — has to work swiftly, silently and very smartly before the mob gets together to prevent the arrest of a wanted criminal. The local residents pelt stones not only to scare the cops, but also to work as an obstacle so that others get sufficient time to arrive and free the accused from the clutches of police. So, a team has to act sensibly else the cops will have to return empty handed with multiple injuries and face the brunt of seniors,” said another police officer.

Sources in the police department told mid-day that the local residents keep an eye on every visitor at their den and follow them in the lanes. They alert everyone on WhatsApp groups where they also circulate the photographs of suspected policemen and their vehicles. This is why the cops now either take private vehicles, or school vans, or ambulances to bring the criminals from Ambivali.

DN Nagar case
On August 27, the DN Nagar police apprehended Firoz Fayyaz Khan, 62, who posed as a policeman and stole R1 lakh from a bag in Jogeshwari West. According to police, on August 10, the victim, Kishan Kumar Basavraj Halli, 21, from Andheri West, went to a bank in Jogeshwari West and withdrew R8 lakh from his office account. Khan pretended to be a cop and stopped Halli. Khan asked Halli, "What's in your bag? Charas, ganja?" Halli opened the bag, and Khan and the others stole R1 lakh before escaping.

With the help of CCTV footage, the police identified the accused as a resident of Indira Nagar close to Ambivali Railway Station West. He has 35 cases against him in Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai.

The DN Nagar police team went to Ambivali village in a school van and another car on August 27 at 11:45 am. Some cops were dressed in burkhas. They saw Khan getting a haircut at a salon, grabbed and placed him in the school van. Soon, locals gathered attempting to stop the vehicle, and attacked the police with stones.

API Pawar sustained injuries when a person threw a stone at his head. The police retaliated using the stones thrown at them for defence and managed to bring the accused to the police station. They arrested the accused under IPC sections 170, 420, and 34. More sections will be added due to the locals' attack on the police.

Bandra cops
In April 2019, a team of 10 cops from Bandra police had gone to arrest a most wanted criminal, Abbas Irani, at his house in Ambivali. But a mob of 21 people, including women, pelted stones at them and drove them away, critically injuring one cop. In the ensuing chaos, Irani escaped.

Exactly after four years, Irani was nabbed by crime branch sleuths of Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police. They went undercover in the locality as fruit sellers, eatery owners and even an autorickshaw driver to conduct a recce. When they found Irani, they lifted him onto their shoulders and carried him across railway tracks into a waiting vehicle and arrested him. “There are two MCOCA cases against Irani,” said API Sahuraj Ranaware, whose team arrested Irani in April 2023.

"Tere Bag Mai kya hai....charas, ganja to nahi hai.....bag khol ke dikha...." - these are the words used by fake cops to deceive people through the city. According to Mumbai police records, most fake cops, chain snatchers, and mobile snatchers are from Ambivali village.

Kalachowkie police
The Kalachowkie police also held a 60-year-old from the Ambivali village in July this year for posing as a cop. The police team conducted an undercover operation for 7 days in Ambivali village, posing as bag sellers, cap and banana sellers. They noted the accused’s daily table.

According to the police, on July 4 this year, accused Kabul Jafri and two accomplices posed as cops and stopped a78-year-old woman at Lalbaug market, stealing her 10 gm gold chain. When she realised this, she informed the Kalachowkie police. The cops nabbed Jafri at a Chinese joint and dragged him from the railway tracks to the other side. His family members and local people attacked them with weapons and officers received minor injuries. However, cops got away with Jafri.

More arrests
Ambulance surprise
Recently, the MHB Colony police in Borivli apprehended two chain-snatchers from Ambivali. One of the accused, Sayyed Zakir, was embroiled in 27 cases across the city. Senior Inspector Sudhir Kudalkar, Assistant Police Inspector Suryakant Pawar and API Akhilesh Bombe, under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone XI) Ajaykumar Bansal, conducted several reconnaissance missions before the operation.

A team of 26 police personnel arrived at Ambivali in two ambulances and three cars around 4 pm on February 4. They spotted Zakir and an unidentified individual at a tea stall near the Imambada. On noticing the Mumbai registration numbers on the ambulances, the unidentified man fled. Zakir, unaware of what was happening, was swiftly surrounded by the police. After the vehicles moved a short distance, a crowd began pelting stones at them.

Though one ambulance managed to get away, the one carrying Zakir was surrounded by the mob. Cops then formed a barrier in front of the ambulance and cleared a path for it. This frenzied operation lasted only a few minutes, during which some officers sustained injuries.

Wedding woes
In 2017, around 20 officers of the Mahatma Phule police in Kalyan posed as revellers and dragged an accused, Taufiq Irani, from his father’s house after he tied the knot at Ambivali. The police had also danced on the stage as locals cheered on. Sub Inspector Avinash Palde, Constable Anup Kamat and another officer even shook a leg with a chain-snatcher at the function.

Irani had been caught red-handed by pedestrians and handed over to the Tilak Nagar police in Dombivli and later released on bail. He was then busted while committing the same crime in Vakola. He served more than two years in jail under MCOCA and was then released on bail, after which he went back to snatching chains.

The police had received information about the wedding reception and planned to identify the accused and arrest them on the spot but couldn’t make a move because of the large crowd.