Pune court acquits gangster in extortion case
A special court in Pune on Tuesday acquitted absconding gangster Nilesh Ghaywal and five others in a 2020 extortion case after the complainant and key prosecution witnesses turned hostile during trial.
Ghaywal is currently hiding abroad and facing separate charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) over a September 2025 firing incident.
The other accused include Santosh Dhumal, Musa Sheikh, Akshay Gogawale, Kunal Kandhare and Vipul Majhire.
According to the prosecution, the alleged extortion demand was made in 2020 when Ghaywal was in prison in connection with another case. Dhumal had allegedly demanded a jeep from the complainant for a rally.
The Pune Crime Branch took over the investigation in the case. The complainant, however, later alleged that his statement had been recorded under pressure from the police and the investigating agency and denied the allegations. The Bombay High Court subsequently directed the police to record the complainant’s statement afresh. The complainant again denied the alleged incident and said no such offence had taken place.
During the trial before the MCOCA court, the complainant denied the contents of the original complaint under oath, and other witnesses and panch witnesses also did not support the prosecution case.
The acquittal comes amid other criminal cases registered against Ghaywal and members of his gang.
