Mumbai Encounter Squad
Encyclopedia
The Mumbai Encounter Squad was an unofficial group within the police force
of Mumbai
, which killed criminals in "encounters".
It consisted of several high-profile officers from the Detection Unit. The squad primarily dealt with members of the Mumbai underworld and other criminal gangs and carried out the elimination of criminals. At one point it was headed by Pradeep Sawant.
's D-Company
gang.
The 'encounter’, was a euphemism for a situation in which a gangster was cornered, asked to surrender, ostensibly attacked the police or tried to escape, and was shot dead in retaliatory action. As the encounters increased, so did the popularity of the ‘encounter specialist’. Daya Nayak, Pradeep Sharma
, Ravindra Angre, Praful Bhosale, Raju Pillai, Vijay Salaskar
, Shivaji Kolekar, Sachin Waze
and Sanjay Kadam became cult figures, mythologised by the media.
The first encounter occurred on January 11, 1982 when gangster Manya Surve
was shot dead by police officers Raja Tambat and Isaque Bagwan at the Wadala area. The famous killing of Maya Dolas in the Shootout at Lokhandwala
bought focus on this unit for first time. More than 400 criminals from different gangs were killed by this squad.
Since the cracking of the 1993 Mumbai Bomb blasts case, the squad played an instrumental role in controlling the Dawood Ibrahim
, Chota Rajan, Ashwin Naik, Ravi Pujari
, Ejaz Lakdawala
, Ali Budesh
, and Arun Gawli
gangs in Mumbai.
The squad was dissolved after rival dons Dawood
and Chota Rajan fled India, but revived after the 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings
.
The end of the squad came with the departure of Waze and Nayak from service, and death of Vijay Salaskar
, killed in a gun battle with the Taj Hotel terrorists
.
At least one further film is planned.
Mumbai Police
The Mumbai Police is the police force of the city of Mumbai, India. It has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Mumbai. The department's motto is ""...
of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, which killed criminals in "encounters".
It consisted of several high-profile officers from the Detection Unit. The squad primarily dealt with members of the Mumbai underworld and other criminal gangs and carried out the elimination of criminals. At one point it was headed by Pradeep Sawant.
Gang Wars in Mumbai
The Encounter Squad came into prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, when they started dealing with Dawood IbrahimDawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
's D-Company
D-Company
D-Company is a term coined by the media for the criminal organization and terrorist group headed by wanted terrorist leader and crime boss Dawood Ibrahim....
gang.
The 'encounter’, was a euphemism for a situation in which a gangster was cornered, asked to surrender, ostensibly attacked the police or tried to escape, and was shot dead in retaliatory action. As the encounters increased, so did the popularity of the ‘encounter specialist’. Daya Nayak, Pradeep Sharma
Pradeep Sharma
Pradeep Sharma is a serving officer in the police force of Mumbai, India. Sharma attained notability as an "encounter specialist" with the Mumbai Encounter Squad and was involved with the deaths of as many as 112 criminals...
, Ravindra Angre, Praful Bhosale, Raju Pillai, Vijay Salaskar
Vijay Salaskar
Vijay Salaskar was a Senior Police Inspector and encounter specialist serving with the Mumbai police. He was widely credited with killing 75–80 criminals in encounters — most of these were members of the Arun Gawli gang...
, Shivaji Kolekar, Sachin Waze
Sachin Waze
Sachin Hindurao Vaze is a former police officer in the Maharashtra Police Force of India. Vaze is known as an "encounter specialist" with the Mumbai Encounter Squad and was involved with the deaths of as many as 63 criminals. Vaze joined Maharashtra Police Force in 1990 and he resigned on 30...
and Sanjay Kadam became cult figures, mythologised by the media.
The first encounter occurred on January 11, 1982 when gangster Manya Surve
Manya Surve
Manohar Arjun Surve , better known as Manya Surve, was an infamous Indian urban dacoit and gangster in the Bombay underworld. His death in 1982 during an encounter with the Bombay police became known as the city's first recorded encounter killing...
was shot dead by police officers Raja Tambat and Isaque Bagwan at the Wadala area. The famous killing of Maya Dolas in the Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala is a 2007 Hindi feature film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It is based upon the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Mumbai Police....
bought focus on this unit for first time. More than 400 criminals from different gangs were killed by this squad.
Since the cracking of the 1993 Mumbai Bomb blasts case, the squad played an instrumental role in controlling the Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
, Chota Rajan, Ashwin Naik, Ravi Pujari
Ravi Pujari
Ravi Pujari is an India-based gangster.He started his criminal career at Andheri, Mumbai. He is a school dropout, but speaks English, Kannada, Hindi and Tulu. He was a small-time criminal till he killed Bala Zalte, a rival. He joined gangster Chhota Rajan who took a liking to him.He moved to Dubai...
, Ejaz Lakdawala
Ejaz Lakdawala
Ejaz Lakdawala is one of the most wanted gangsters from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.In May 2003, he was rumored to have been killed when Dawood's gang-members, also known as D-Company, angered by his allegiance to Chota Rajan, opened fire at him in a crowded market in Bangkok...
, Ali Budesh
Ali Budesh
Ali Baba Budesh , is a notorious Indian extortionist and underworld don of the Indian Mafia, based in Bahrain. Fearing backlash from the Mumbai police, Budesh fled to Bahrain in the late eighties, where he opened up his new base of operations in the capital city of Manama.-Early life:Most of the...
, and Arun Gawli
Arun Gawli
Arun Gulab Gawli , known to his followers as "Daddy", is an alleged criminal turned politician from Mumbai, India. He is based at Dagdi Chawl in Byculla- Saat Rasta, Mumbai...
gangs in Mumbai.
The squad was dissolved after rival dons Dawood
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
and Chota Rajan fled India, but revived after the 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings
11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings
The 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings were a series of seven bomb blasts that took place over a period of 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the nation's financial capital. The bombs were set off in pressure cookers on trains...
.
The end of the squad came with the departure of Waze and Nayak from service, and death of Vijay Salaskar
Vijay Salaskar
Vijay Salaskar was a Senior Police Inspector and encounter specialist serving with the Mumbai police. He was widely credited with killing 75–80 criminals in encounters — most of these were members of the Arun Gawli gang...
, killed in a gun battle with the Taj Hotel terrorists
2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamist attackers who came from Pakistan...
.
Portrayals in popular culture
- Abtak Chappan — Nana Patekar playing role of Sadhu Agashe based on Pradeep Sharma
- Company — Vivek Oberoi playing Chota Rajan, Mohanlal playing Encounter Squad Chief
- Shootout at Lokhandwala — Vivek Oberoi playing Maya Dolas, movie on Maya's Encounter,
- Aaan-Encounter Squad — Character based on real-life inspectors
- Sarfarosh — Fictional story based upon the Indian underworld.
- Garv — Brothers Salman and Arbaaz Khan play roles of inspectors of Encounter squad
At least one further film is planned.
External links
- Urban Cowboys - TIMETimeTime is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
- Bombay's crack 'encounter' police - BBC NewsBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
- India can't keep a good don down - Asia TimesAsia TimesAsia Times was a newspaper launched in Thailand by Thai tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul in 1995. The newspaper hired talent from around the world to produce a regional English-language newspaper....
- Encounter man Pradip Sharma completes 'century'
- India - Mumbai Mean Streets - ABC newsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
- Encounter specialists are back in action - Deccan HeraldDeccan HeraldThe Deccan Herald is a leading English-language daily newspaper distributed in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is published by the Printers Private Limited and has a number of editions in Bangalore, Hubli, Mysore, Mangalore and Gulbarga....
- Rajan gangster shot dead - The Times of IndiaThe Times of IndiaThe Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...