Mumbai:
What does an over-the-hill gangster do after losing the agility for active crime? Some call it a day and seek refuge in normal society; some cool their heels in jails; and most survive scraping the bottom of the barrel. But 62-year-old Vasant Suvarna, the oldest member of the Ravi Pujari gang, has worked out his finances rather differently.
Done with serious offences like robbery, house break-ins and attempt to murder in his active days, Suvarna has got into the business of supplying country-made pistols and shooters to Ravi Pujari on 'rent'.
"He has slowed down in recent times due to his age and has started the business of supplying arms and shooters on rent," said Shivajirao Kolekar, senior police inspector at Meghwadi police station. He was nabbed recently in connection with a jewellery shop robbery at Vasai last month.
Suvarna sources the country-made pistols from UP at cheap rates and rents these out for Rs4,000-Rs5,000 to members of the Pujari gang and also to other robbers, police sources said. Apart from the arms, he also supplied men to carry out extortion activities. He charges a commission for the free-lancers, who mostly belong to poor families. "Most of them are from the Sion area," added Kolekar.
The business is safe and it assured Suvarna decent earnings, the police said. He is an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and made offerings at a temple in Kerala whenever he earned a handsome commission for his services.
"He would even donate a part of his earnings to the temple," a police official revealed.
The police said with the jewellery shop heist, Suvarna participated in a serious crime after a long hiatus. Since the shop was located on the outskirts of the city he thought he would be able to pull it off easily, they added.
Copyright restricted. Under license from
www.3dsyndication.com