HC sends notice to cop for framing fisherwoman

The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to ACP Anil Mahabole for arresting a fisherwoman without valid reason in 2010

HC sends notice to cop for framing fisherwoman

The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to ACP Anil Mahabole for arresting a fisherwoman without valid reason in 2010

Trouble has just begun for Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Anil Mahabole. The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to Mahabole asking him to appear in court next week. Mahabole is accused of arresting Rahima B Shaikh alias Fantoosh Aapa without any valid reason in 2010.u00a0

In December last year, a special team deputed by Mahabole had arrested Shaikh from outside the Session Court for an eight month-old pending case. Shaikh, a fisherwoman, is a resident of Musafirkhana (near Manish Market). The pending case involves her daughter-in-law who had registered an FIR accusing Shaikh of assaulting her.

After the investigation, the investigating officer presented a report that at the time of the incident, Shaikh was not present on the spot. She was at a dargah serving food to five men,u00a0u00a0including a maulana (priest).
As Mahabole took charge of the Azad Maidan division, he tried to implicate Shaikh since she was allegedly close to then Senior Inspector Sanjeev Kokil.

First, he tried to implicate her in an extortion case, failing which he arrested her on for older case. Later Shaikh filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court against her illegal arrest. On April 21, the court issued a notice to Mahabole to appear in court but Mahabole failed to arrive.

"Mahabole arrested Shaikh without due warrant and in personal interest. The investigation officer did not arrest her because he found that the allegation was false. Now the court has issued a notice to Mahabole," said Sanjeev Kadam, Shaikh's lawyer.

Not the first time
Earlier, Mahabole had tried to implicate Shaikh and the then Senior Inspector Sanjeev Kokil in an extortion case. According to the complaint lodged on December 13, 2010 Mahabole had visited the MRA Marg police station. Kokil was present but without prior intimation, he registered an FIR against Shaikh accusing her of demanding Rs 4 lakh from a man on behalf of Kokil.

Interestingly, two days later, Mahabole realised that the FIR registered does not amount to a cognizable offence and destroyed the earlier complaint registered, changed the statement and registered the case under alternate sections.u00a0

According to Kokil's complaint, Mahabole is infamous for having links with the underworld. He was thrown out of the police department in 2007 and an "adverse report" was filed against him. "The matter is very old and I am aware of the notice. There was a technical mistake in the petition and the court," said Mahabole.