Navi Mumbai builder murder: 'Arrested ex-cop had tried to kill Charles Sobhraj in fake encounter'

Former encounter specialist Emmanuel Samuel Amolik arrested for masterminding the murder of Vashi builder Sunil Kumar Loharia 50 has several prior claims to notoriety one of them being an attempt to bump off notorious criminal Charles Sobhraj in a fake encounter back in 1986 soon after his arrest from O Coqueiro Bar in Panaji Goa Amolikrsquos superior retired cop Madhukar Zende stopped him in time and reprimanded him for harbouring such intentions Amolik has been arrested for his role in the murder of Loharia According to sources in the team that arrested Sobhraj under the leadership of Zende Amolik was part of it Sobhraj has often been described with epithets like the lsquoserpentrsquo and lsquocriminal of the centuryrsquo The incident took place on April 6 1986 on Sobhrajrsquos 42nd birthday At the time Sobhraj was wanted by cops across the continent for the murder of several tourists Amolik was part of the team under Madhukar Zende that arrested Sobhraj in 1986 While Sobhraj was waiting for an international call in O Coqueiro Bar Zende dressed as a tourist waited in ambush Sobhraj took the call and emerged Just as he was about to hitch a ride Zende walked up to him and said ldquoHello Charlesrdquo Charles indignantly replied ldquoThis is not the way to treat your guestsrdquo As Sobhraj coolly reached into his on the pretext of paying the driver the lsquotouristrsquo thrust a revolver in his face ldquoI know you are Shobhraj We have met before I arrested you in Bombay in 1971rdquo Zende told him Immediately his assistants rounded up Shobhraj Sources say that soon after Shobhraj was captured in this manner Amolik started approaching him pointing the gun towards him Noticing his advances Zende stopped Amolik asking him to step back Zende who retired as assistant commissioner of police claims the distinction of arresting Shobhraj twice once in 1971 and then again in 1986 Retired cop Madhukar Zende had reprimanded Amolik for attempting to bump off notorious criminal Charles Sobhraj After the arrest the team of cops made it to the headlines While working in one of the most successful team of Mumbai cops back then Amolik added several feathers to his cap arresting several notorious criminals and slaying some dreaded underworld gangsters such as Kalia Mehmood of Dawoodrsquos gang Chadrashekar Saflia and Manya Surve His colleagues remember him as an upright officer with excellent network in the mafia ldquoPossibly that could be one of the reasons why he was embroiled in controversies To establish the network officers especially socalled encounter specialists often cross the thin line between the cops and the criminals unknowinglyrdquo said a colleague who worked with Amolik for almost a year when the latter was posted in the Mumbai Crime Branch Confessions Venkatesh Shettiar who pumped five bullets into Loharia divulged Amolikrsquos involvement while being beaten up by a crowd Pleading with the cops ldquoSir please look at him he is hitting me Look at him sir they are hitting me tell them not to hit me Officer look they are me hitting me on the head with a stonerdquo Venkatesh Shettiar who confessed to the crime ldquoSir enquire with Amolik sahib he knows me very well Amolik sir who is posted at Vashi police station Ask Pirzade saheb I am in good terms with them They hit me with the stone call Amolik sir and ask him Call PSI Amolik and ask him whether he knows Shettiar he will tell yourdquo Provides Amolikrsquos phone number ldquoOfficer please take me to the hospital otherwise I might die Sir tell him he is hitting me with his leg I am not able to get up sir please they hit me on my backrdquo LimelightPlayerUtilinitEmbedlimelight_player_512475 Controversy Amolik was arrested in 2003 for killing a gangster Baban Kayande in an allegedly fake encounter in Ulhasnagar in 1992 Amolik was dismissed from serviceu00a0