Bar raider Dhoble's ace informer was an externed criminal

In another indictment of the Mumbai policersquos convoluted relationship with khabris the force has been revealed to be employing the services of a tadipar who has graduated to be its ace informer over the past year According to police record Agnel Leonard Weldaris 25 an accused in several robbery and assault cases was externed in February last year But he has since continued to be the Social Service SS Branchrsquos ace informer and has been aiding and accompanying police teams in crackdowns on Mumbairsquos nightlife His chequered past came to light yesterday after he was nabbed from south Mumbai for violating the externment order Weldaris has been a prime witness in several raids conducted on ladiesrsquo bars hookah parlours discotheques and dubious beauty salons Considered to be the righthand man of Assistant Commissioner of Police Vasant Dhoble of SS Branch he has hardly missed out any busts carried out at the behest of the senior cop and his team sources revealed Get out Agnel Weldaris was arrested yesterday for breaching the 2011 externment order he was released on bail and ordered to leave the city again PicBipin Kokate According to the DB Marg police in 2010 Weldaris had been arrested in two cases of robberies registered against him at DB Marg and Azad Maidan police stations and another assault case at Byculla police station In February 2011 after several other petty offences had heaped up against him Deputy Commissioner of Police Anil Kumbhare externed him for two years Canary caged Agnel Leonard Weldaris was arrested by the DB Marg police yesterday IllustrationAmit Bandre Senior Inspector AS Surve of DB Marg police station said ldquoWe have arrested the accused under Section 142 violating the order of externment of the Bombay Police Act 1951 We produced him before the magistrate in Girgaum court and submitted the chargesheet on Wednesdayrdquo u00a0The court has however released him on a bond of Rs 5000 He has been asked to leave the city with immediate effect Favourite decoy Recently in a controversial raid on a flesh trade racket allegedly operational at Madness pub in Khar earlier this week Agnel was sent as a bogus customer into the pub Based on the information provided by him the SS officials led by Dhoble raided the premises Incidentally the foray landed Dhoble and his staff into a storm as the women lsquorescuedrsquo in the raid and sent to rehab were college students and housewives who had nothing to do with prostitution Out of square A senior Crime Branch officer said on the condition of anonymity ldquoWhat right does an informer have to accompany an officer on a police raid All the raids carried out have to be within the purview of the law If such criminals are used during raids on hookah parlours we can imagine where the discipline in the force is headingrdquo Agnelrsquos arrest comes amid unrest in the force after the commissionerrsquos recent diktat to dismantle all special squads formed by senior officers According to the top cop the units had deteriorated into dens of extortion activities and their members had been working handinglove with criminals on the pretext of extracting information from them Said an officer from the dismantled West Region Squad ldquoThe commissioner himself has formed two special squads led by Dhoble and a Crime Branch officer who is at present heading one of the units Both the officers have been involved in innumerable controversies Who is accountable for their misconductrdquou00a0