13 May,2011 08:03 AM IST | | Akela
The large police team went into the 'dangerous' Irani Basti at 5 am and arrested 25 people in connection with a spate of robberies and vehicle thefts u00a0in the area
Alarmed at the sharp increase in chain snatching, vehicle thefts and robberies in the Dombivli-Kalyan-Ulhas-nagar-Badlapur belt, more than 400 policemen and women led a combing operation in Irani Basti at Ambivli, Kalyan early last morning.According to DCP Hirasingh Jadhav of the Kalyan police, 25 people were arrested and 45 stolen vehicles, gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 36 lakh and Rs 50,000 in cash were seized from them.
The police were acting on information gleaned from the interrogation of a suspect arrested in connection with Wednesday's robbery, in which Avinash Bhoir (45) was attacked while he was on his way to Badlapur with his family for a wedding.
Special team
The suspect revealed that a gang from the basti was behind Wednesday's robbery and others like it and the newly appointed commissioner of police of Thane district, Krishna Pal Singh Raghuv-anshi, formed a special team to arrest the accused.
The operation was launched at 5 am. "The Irani Basti has a reputation of being dangerous and no police officer dares to venture there for fear of not coming out alive. Such incidents have happened in the past. Two years ago, when a police team had entered the basti to nab the accused in a particular case, the residents attacked them and the cops had to open fire to save their lives. One resident was killed in the firing. Thus, a bigger team was sent this time," said a police officer, on condition of anonymity.
"The team was headed by two deputy commissioners of police and consisted of officers from not only the Kalyan and Dombivli police, but also from Zones III and IV in the district and from the Thane Police Headquarters," said Raghuvanshi.
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Danger zone
The Irani Basti, which is located near the Ambivli police station, is home to more than 400 Iranians. Cheating, house breaking and robbery is said to be the livelihood of a majority of the basti's residents. Some of them are police informers as well.
