Mumbai's ‘encounter cop’ quits, to join politics

MUMBAI: Senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma, who claims to have gunned down over 100 criminals in ‘encounters’ in his 35 years of service, has put in his papers, fuelling speculation that he is eyeing politics. Sources said the ‘encounter specialist’ is likely to contest the upcoming assembly election from Andheri constituency, though it is not confirmed on which party ticket.
Sharma, who was to retire in May 2020, submitted his resignation on July 4 to the director general of police, said sources.It is yet to be accepted. Sharma confirmed the news, but refused to divulge his plans. “I have tendered my resignation to the DGP; it is in the process,” he said.
In 2014 too, Sharma had tried to secure a party ticket for the assembly polls but failed.
Sharma hails from a village in Dhulia. After graduation, he gave the MPSC exams to join the force as a sub-inspector.
Sharma, along with his 1983 batchmates Vijay Salaskar, Praful Bhosle, Ravindra Angre, Arun Borude, Aslam Momin and Raju Pillai, formed a formidable team that was responsible for “cleaning up the city of organised crime”. They were trained by former DGP Arvind Inamdar.
His career has seen several ups and downs. Sharma’s first posting was as sub-inspector at Mahim police station in 1984. Sharma, along with Daya Nayak, hit the headlines when he shot dead gangsters Vinod Matkar, Parvez Siddiqu, Rafiq Dabbawala and Sadik Kalia.
Sharma also made it to the cover of Time magazine when his team gunned down three suspected LeT terrorists in Goregaon. But then his career took a downward turn when he was entangled in the custodial death of terror suspect Khawaja Yunus in 2003. He was transferred to Amravati, but he did not join. In 2008, he was dismissed from service for his alleged nexus with the underworld. He challenged his dismissal before the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal and the high court and got a clean chit. In 2010, he was arrested for his suspected role in the alleged fake encounter of Rajan aide Ramnarayan Gupta alias Lakhanbhaiya. Aquitted three years on, in 2016 he was reinstated in the force.
After joining as head of Thane crime branch anti-extortion cell, Sharma arrested Dawood’s brother Iqbal Kaskar and busted a major extortion racket. “With polls round the corner, he decided to quit...He has met senior leaders of a party. Former police chief Satyapal Singh, two-time BJP MP, who is also his mentor, is supporting him,” said a source.
Read this story in Bengali