NAGPUR: Senior criminal lawyer Ramesh Rawlani was arrested in the early hours of Thursday from his Jaripatka residence by the Nagpur Rural police’s local crime branch (LCB) for allegedly conspiring to abduct and torture a key witness in a 2022 Umred murder case in an attempt to coerce him into giving false testimony before a court.While Rawlani was later granted interim bail by a sessions court, three of his co-accused, arrested a day earlier, were remanded in three-day police custody by a magistrate court in Umred.Nagpur Rural superintendent of police Harssh A Poddar said police have invoked charges of criminal conspiracy along with offences related to kidnapping, criminal intimidation and compelling a person to furnish false evidence.“We will try to get the interim bail of the lawyer cancelled. The investigation team is also exploring legal angles to invoke either MCOCA or Section 111 of BNS,” Poddar said adding police protection has already been given to the witness.According to police sources, the witness on Wednesday narrated his abduction and torture ordeal before govt prosecutor and principal district and sessions judge SC Munghate at the district court.Judge Munghate immediately directed Nagpur Rural police to register a case and ensure his protection.Acting swiftly, Rural police first arrested three accused from Umred, Rakesh Mahakalkar, Akshay Patil, and Pradyumna Kurutkar on Wednesday, before picking up Rawlani around 3am on Thursday.
Nagpur lawyer arrested
The four accused were produced before magistrate court at Umrer on Thursday. While Rawlani’s counsel adv Rajesh Tiwari secured interim bail for the advocate from Nagpur sessions court, his production before the magistrate became a mere formality.As per the FIR registered at Umred police station on July 29, the witness was at his home on the night of July 28 when Mahakalkar (26), a resident of Itwaripeth in Umred, arrived in a car with two associates between 7.30pm and 8pm.Mahakalkar, who was known to the witness, allegedly lured him outside before the trio forcibly bundled him into the vehicle and drove him to Ranbodi in Umred taluka.The FIR states that the accused forced the witness to consume alcohol, drove him around for several hours and later confined him at Mahakalkar’s residence.Investigators believe the kidnapping was aimed at protecting one Roshan Kargaonkar, who has already been convicted in a 2022 gang-rape case and is also facing murder charges. The abducted man was scheduled to testify the following day in the murder trial.When the witness failed to return home, his family lodged a missing person’s complaint at Umred police station.During the confinement, the accused allegedly instructed the witness to depose in court as dictated by a “top criminal lawyer” and even offered him money in exchange for his cooperation.When he refused, he was allegedly subjected to physical and mental torture throughout the night.The witness further alleged that around 3am, when he attempted to escape, the accused overpowered him, restrained him and threatened to kill him if he raised an alarm or tried to flee again.The next morning, the accused allegedly drove him to Nagpur district court. During the journey, one of kidnappers reportedly spoke to the lawyer and confirmed the plan.At the court premises, the lawyer allegedly instructed the witness to deny knowledge of the case, disown his police statement and claim that police had paid him Rs200-300 to make allegations.Police said Mahakalkar has a criminal history involving bootlegging and gambling offences, while Patil also has gambling-related cases registered against him.Investigators are now examining call detail records, financial transactions and other links connected to the alleged conspiracy. Advocate Rawlani was represented by adv Kamal Satuja in Umred.
