Illegal godowns at Shastri Nagar raided

Adulterated oil barrels being mixed at a godown in Chunnnabatti. Exclusive photos shot by Sunita D'Silva

It was a fortnight ago Sunita D’Silva, Asst Editor, Santacruz Patrika along with our team around midnight visited Chunnabati at Vakola-Kurla after we received a tip-off  regarding manufacturing and storing of adulterated and illegal chemicals in various godowns. At that time a barrel of adulterated acid blasted and the highly dangerous fumes engulfed the entire area. With the fumes highly dangerous and intoxicating our Asst Editor daringly barged into the godown and clicked photographs of the illegal adulterated chemical activities being carried out at Chunabatti. Further, the next day while surveying the area it was also noticed that the gutter on Mithi River has been illegally encroached and illegal activities are being carried out in the area. To hide their illegal adulterated activities an illegal gate had also been fixed whereby prohibiting entry so that their illegal activities can flourish. Inside this area it was learnt that illegal and adulterated grease godown is located which had been locked while our team visited the spot.The illegal adulterated grease carried out in the area was also reported to the local corporator.  The local corporator had been following up with BMC for a long time regarding these illegal encroachments and adulterated chemical godowns. But, no action had been taken by BMC. Further, it was also learnt that with the widening of Mithi River, the illegal adulterated chemical activities which were being carried out at that site have now moved to Chunabatti. Many residents of the area complained and told Santacruz Patrika that these illegal godownds storing adulterated chemicals are highly hazardous and dangerous to the inhabitants of the area.

Now, with the burning of Sonawane by the oil mafia the Maharashtra government have begun raids on illegal and adulterated godowns. The Mumbai crime branch on Friday raided a godown in Kalina and seized more than 80,000 litres of adulterated diesel, commonly referred to as black oil. On Thursday night too, raids on two godowns, located a kilometre away from the godown raided on Friday, resulted in the seizure of more than 1.2 lakh litres of adulterated diesel. Thetotal seizure in the last two days has gone up to 2.5 lakh litres. The Vakola police independently conducted a raid at Abdul Yusuf Anwarlal Compound on Friday and seized 423 barrels of oil while the Kurla police raided 11 godowns and seized 450 barrels of black oil.
Joint commissioner of police (crime) Himanshu Roy said on Friday, the crime branch control (CB Control) received information about a godown at Shastri Nagar, near Air India Colony at Kalina. A team rushed to the spot and found 80,000 litres of black oil with solvent, grease, and mixing equipment. Roy said the main accused in the case, identified as Amin, who ran the godown, is absconding.
The night before theCB control had raided two godowns in Panama Compound at Kalina and recovered 1.2 lakh litres of black oil. The police arrested Abdul Gaffar Mohammad Hassan Sheikh, 58, but his associates, identified as Jeetubhai and Sohrab, are absconding. Roy said the gang is suspected to have smuggled the oil from large industrial units and ships and processed it in the godown. “We suspect the oil was supplied to small scale industries and petrol pumps in rural areas,” Roy said, adding that efforts are on to identify the buyers and suppliers of black oil, which is not supposed to be sold in the open market. Themain accused in the adulteration racket at Vakola, Saheb Shaikh, and his employees are absconding, Senior inspector RG Pardesi said. Roy said the police are exploring the possibilities of invoking the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act or initiate externment proceedings against offenders. 

Giving details about the Vakola raid, a source in the crime branch said that they got specific information about oil adulteration happening at at Panama Compound, Kalina Road, in Vakola. At least 15 officers raided three godowns, the source said. The raid started at 9pm and went on till four in the morning on Friday. The godown belongs to Abdul Gafoor Hasan Shaikh, a resident of Saki Naka. “Gafoor and eight other people have been booked under various sections of the Essential Commodities Act and the Indian Penal Code. “We have sealed the godowns and policemen have been posted,” an officer said. “The accused used to buy used oil from big companies,” the officer said. “They would then recycle it by mixing colour and selling it at cheaper rates to those who could not buy original oil.”