Nagpur: Days after a gang war in North Nagpur allegedly triggered by a turf war between rival gangs at Shaniwar Bazaar near Kamal Chowk on July 15, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Monday demolished an illegal 400 sq ft tin-sheet house of MCOCA accused Ajay Chinchkhede (27) and four unauthorised structures linked to his alleged associates.Police sources said Chinchkhede, considered one of North Nagpur’s dreaded gangsters, has over 10 offences registered against him, including a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) case registered in 2019. He also allegedly operated an illicit liquor business along with his mother from the locality. Police have now prepared a fresh proposal to invoke MCOCA against Chinchkhede and members of his gang.The joint operation, carried out by NMC’s enforcement department and Asi Nagar zone office, began around 11am amid heavy police deployment. Using bulldozers and excavators, civic teams demolished over a dozen illegal tin sheds and kutcha structures from the municipal market area at Shanichari Bazaar, where encroachments had mushroomed over the years.Monday’s action is being viewed as one of the toughest crackdowns on organised crime-linked encroachments in North Nagpur after Vishwas Nangre Patil took over as city police commissioner.According to assistant municipal commissioner (enforcement) Sanjay Kamble, the demolition was initiated following a request from Pachpaoli police, which shared details of the accused persons and the illegally constructed properties. “All five had erected houses without permission in violation of civic rules,” he said.Officials said Chinchkhede had encroached upon NMC land inside Shanichari Bazaar and constructed a 400 sq ft tin-sheet dwelling, which was razed during the operation. The drive also targeted illegal structures belonging to Rahul Shinde of Chandrakiran Nagar in Hudkeshwar, Durgesh Gupta of MHADA Quarters in Kapil Nagar, Ashwin alias Achhi Indurkar of Lashkaribagh in Pachpaoli, and Christ Thakur of Lashkaribagh in Pachpaoli.Pachpaoli senior police inspector Anirudh Puri told TOI that Chinchkhede is a hardened criminal with a long criminal record and is already booked under MCOCA. Police said the latest action came within a week of Chinchkhede allegedly filing a false criminal complaint against a rival gang member, even as investigators continued probing the July 15 firing incident.The civic action follows the gang war at Shaniwar Bazaar, where rival groups allegedly led by Jagdish Gokhale and Chinchkhede exchanged fire in what police suspect was a battle for supremacy in the area. Cases have been registered against members of both gangs, and further investigations are underway.Officials maintained that Monday’s demolition was carried out strictly against illegal constructions and in coordination with the police. Besides Shanichari Bazaar, the enforcement department also removed unauthorised structures near Bhawani Mata temple in Pardi and conducted anti-encroachment drives at Sitabuldi Main Road, Variety Square, Mahal and IT Park.
