The arrest was made on October 2 following intelligence that the car had been utilized for city travel by Satish Kalia, a shooter associated with gangster Chhota Rajan, who had been released on parole on September 25. Kalia was convicted in the murder of journalist J Dey.
Acting on a tip-off, the Nirmal Nagar police discovered that the vehicle belonged to Kalia’s associate, Akandpratap Singh, also known as Chandan (36). Singh, who has faced a dozen assault cases in the city, was arrested on October 2 for the alleged misuse of the MLA’s sticker and the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly’s logo.
Authorities suspect that Singh had been employing the car for illicit activities. They emphasize the need for the state assembly to monitor the issuance of such stickers and logos to public servants to prevent their misuse. The tinted windows and government logos can be exploited by anti-social elements to conceal their presence during police checks or bandobast operations, highlighting the potential dangers.
The incident was initially flagged by constable Santosh Newale, who was on night duty. He came across the vehicle parked near Triratna Grihnirman Society in Bandra (East) on October 1, prompting him to report his suspicions to the Nirmal Nagar police station. Subsequently, DCP (Zone VIII) Dikshit Gedam oversaw a police team’s investigation, revealing that Singh was neither a public servant nor an MLA and had fraudulently employed the stickers and logo.
Singh now faces charges under IPC section 171 (Wearing a garb or carrying a token used by a public servant with fraudulent intent) and under the Motor Vehicle Act. He is also a witness in the case of Vijay Pujari, alias Batta, who was fatally shot by members of a rival gang at Sharada Bar in Khar in 2013.
