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I am on ISI hit-list: Gawli

Michael Gonsalves in Pune

Dreaded gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli has said he faces a threat to his life from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agents and urged the Pune district court to shift him from the Amravati central jail to the Yerawada central prison in Pune.

In a written statement submitted before Additional Sessions Judge B S Bandgar on Wednesday, Gawli said the Manchar police had informed him in writing that he was on the ISI hit-list.

He claimed to have received death threats from rival gangsters like Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel.

Gawli was brought from the Amravati central jail to Pune under heavy security and was produced before Bandgar for framing charges in a case of attempt to murder.

Gawli pleaded that he had been "unwell" ever since he was shifted from the Yerawada central prison to the Amravati central jail on November 16.

Citing information given to him by jailor Vilas Bhoite of the Amravati jail, Gawli said the prison doctor had refused to examine him despite reminders. Even the treatment at the civil hospital, Amravati, proved ineffective, he claimed.

He said that after a raid on the Donje yard in the Yerawada jail by the vigilance department recently, where member of legislative assembly Pappu Kalani and others were lodged and contraband articles seized, he was shifted to the Amravati jail on the order of Pune District Magistrate Vijaykumar Gautam on November 3.

Gawli's advocate Satish Kamble filed an application in the court of Additional Sessions Judge S Y Padhya on November 15 opposing the shifting on health grounds.

The court had directed Yerawada central prison Superintendent B R Chaudhary to shift Gawli to Amravati after obtaining his medical fitness certificate.

Bandgar did not frame any charges and issued notice to the state asking it to file its version on December 8.

Advocates Gorakshnath Kale, Kirtikumar Guzer, Sanjay Dalvi and Pravin Sutar filed their vakalatnamas on behalf of Gawli and 172 others in a case of attempt to murder on three policemen outside Gawli's residence at Wadgaonpanch Peer village recently.

A posse of policemen had rushed to Gawli's residence following a tip-off that a cache of arms and ammunition had been transported to Gawli's residence at Wadgaonpanch Peer village. Gawli's supporters had obstructed the police's search operations.

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