Goon externed from Mumbai defies law to meet girlfriend, gets kidnapped by rivals

MUMBAI: Twenty-one-year-old Siddhesh Bhosale alias Chocolate — allegedly involved in half a dozen criminal cases and externed from Mumbai limits last year— took utmost care to avoid being spotted by policemen in Dadar while trying to meet the love of his life. But as fate would have it, he first got kidnapped and roughed up by his rival group members and then landed straight into cops’ net.
When Chocolate visited the area to meet his girlfriend, he had no inkling he would be kidnapped. The matter came to light when his girlfriend approached the police. Investigators rescued Chocolate within three hours from Reay Road, where he was confined and beaten up.
“He had come to meet his girlfriend, who stays in the railway compound in Matunga, at around 7.30pm on Sunday. Four men arrived in a car, assaulted Chocolate and forcibly pushed him into the car. The woman tried her best to save Chocolate but the kidnappers sped away,” said a police officer. The 19-year-old woman then approached the Matunga police, informing them that she didn’t know who the kidnappers were, and subsequently an FIR was registered against unidentified persons.
Police teams were formed under the supervision of DCP Vijay Patil. Investigators inspector Subhash Shingare, PSIs Sandeep Ahirrao, Bharat Gurav and the police teams swung into action and began collecting details from their sources.
Through their sources, cops learnt that Chocolate was taken to a deserted cement godown at Reay Road seven km from Dadar. When a police team arrived on the spot, they found an injured Chocolate and one of the kidnappers, Praful Patkar (24). “Our teams rescued Chocolate and arrested Patkar. The accused had assaulted Chocolate black and blue with a belt and baton. There were several cigarette burn injuries all over Chocolate’s body. He was taken to Sion Hospital for treatment,” said an officer. During probe, cops learnt that Chocolate had abused and threatened one of Patkar’s associates, said police.
Senior inspector Deepak Chavan of the Matunga police said that while they were checking Chocolate’s scooter, they found a big knife. A case under the Arms Act has been registered against Chocolate. Patkar and his cronies have been booked under IPC sections for kidnapping and wrongful restraint. Patkar was earlier arrested in another case of attempt to murder. Meanwhile, Chocolate has been sent to judicial custody for entering the city limits.