Pradeep Sharma leads crorepati cops into Maharashtra assembly poll fray

Former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma who is contesting on a Shiv Sena ticket from Nalasopara has declared assets of an eyewatering Rs 3621 crore in his poll affidavit Two other crorepati cops in the political fray are former police inspectors Shamsher Khan Pathan with R487 crore assets and Gautam Gaikwad with assets worth Rs 321 croreAccording to 1983 batch police inspector Sharmas affidavit submitted to the Election Commission while he owns movable assets worth Rs 181 crore and zero immovable assets his wife Swikriti has movable assets worth Rs 1402 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 2037 crore Back in 2015 Sharma had mentioned Rs 164 lakh as his income while that of his wife for the same year had been stated as Rs 102 crore in her tax returns filed in 201516 But in 201819 Sharmas income jumped manifold while his wifes income decreased sharply In his returns for 201819 he has mentioned Rs 983 lakh as his income while his wifes has been mentioned as Rs 4163 lakhGautam Gaikwad and Shamsher KhanJust like his assets his liability too seems to be huge Sharma and his wife have stated a combined liability of Rs 1513 crore Sharma Rs 1428 lakh and Swikriti Rs 1499 croreSpeaking to midday Sharma said From 2008 to 2017 my wife and I used to run a business The income is hard earned money through the business Everything has been declared to the Income Tax authorities And an inquiry too has been conducted He further explained that the assets have seen a rise due to appreciation too For instance the family had purchased a flat at JB Nagar in 1993 The value then was around Rs 5 lakh The current value is around Rs 3 crore the encounter specialist statedWhen asked why he chose to join politics the former cop claimed it was because he wanted to ensure good roads lighting and infrastructure for Nalasopara citizens There are no streetlights and with just two hours of rain the roads turn into lakes When I asked voters why they were not asking questions to those responsible for this situation they claimed that they had no alternative for 30 years especially because a political terror nexus exists in the regionPradeep Sharma was inducted into the Shiv Sena in September File picSneha KharabeHe added I am here as an alternative and to change the scenario It is not that I am contesting polls for name and fame Through my PS Foundation I am already helping the poor and needy So for me this election is just a step to escalate my charity work and not a means to flex muscle or create wealth for myself Former police officer Shamsher Khan Pathan 197980 batch who is contesting from Mumbadevi on a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi VBA ticket told midday The assets that have been declared are owned by both my wife and I We have inherited most of the assets from our ancestors The properties were purchased several decades back when the prices were very low The R487 crore assets mentioned in the affidavit is according to their current valueIn 1989 when Pathan was subinspector with the crime branch he shot into the limelight as he along with his other team members had arrested Chhota Shakeel VBA candidate from Worli former inspector Gautam Gaikwad 1976 batch was along with a few other police personnel arrested by the crime branch in May 2015 on charges of helping alleged drug supplier Shashikala Patankar evade capture But later in August 2019 Gaikwad along with all other policemen were discharged from the case Gaikwad joined the force as constable but was promoted to PSI in 1991 He retired as PI Speaking to midday Gaikwad said The assets are worth crores because of appreciation of property prices The worth mentioned is its current value The residential flat that we had purchased in Thane has appreciated in value Gaikwad statedAbout Pradeep SharmaPradeep Sharma is said to have more than 100 encounter killings to his name including three LaskhareTaiba terrorists Sharma had joined the police force in 1983 However in 2008 he along with a few other police personnel were dismissed from service for alleged links with the underworld and their role in the Lakhan Bhaiya encounter caseRam Narayan Gupta alias Lakhan Bhaiya was said to be an aide of gangster Chhota Rajan and Guptas family members claim that the encounter was fake But after a long legal battle the court acquitted Sharma and accordingly the state home department in 2017 gave its approval for his reinstatement Sharma immediately joined the antiextortion cell of Thane police However last month he took VRS voluntary retirement to join politics After government accepted his VRS application Sharma joined the Shiv SenaCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates