Family of underworld don and MLA Arun Gawli said that they have already made arrangements on the mode of travel to ensure that the gangster reaches Nagpur Central Jail by June 2. Corporator and daughter of Gawli, Geeta said that the flights to Nagpur have resumed and ensured that her father would reach Nagpur as per Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court order to surrender. She said mostly the family did the travelling arrangements after Mumbai Police granted Gawli permission to travel interstate amid COVID-19.

The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court had ruled out any leniency towards Gawli and had asked him to surrender before Nagpur Central Jail in coming five days. The court had asked the gangster on Friday, May 29 to surrender after getting a travel permit from Mumbai Police.

A division bench comprising Justice Sunil Shukre and Justice Anil Kilor had directed Gawli to apply for travel permission with Mumbai Police within 24 hours who would then grant him the permission in next 24 hours. Gawli, who was released on parole for about 45 days due to the illness of his wife Asha, would travel to Nagpur and surrender before the Central Jail authorities within next three days.

He was granted parole on March 13 to attend to his ailing wife and was supposed to surrender on April 27. But, his parole was extended for a period of seven days due to COVID-19 lockdown. Earlier, Gawlis parole was extended till May 10 and then till May 24, which he wanted to get it extended till May 31. On May 23, the High Court declined further extension for the third time and instead directed him to surrender at Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai. 

He had then appealed to get his parole extended by citing health grounds but the Nagpur Bench refused to extend his parole any further. As per police sources, Gawli wasn’t too keen to stay at Taloja Jail as many members from his rival gangs like Abu Salem and Ashwin Naik have been imprisoned there.

After he went to Taloja Central Jail to surrender, the authorities in the prison refused the gangsters entry saying the jail was already overcrowded. They also said Gawli came from containment area of Dagdi Chawl, due to which he was home quarantined as per norms of the containment area.

Gawli was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, a decision upheld by the Bombay High Court, in connection with the murder of Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar.

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