Thread by @dhavalkulkarni

The #Marathi movie ‘Pandu Havaldar’ (1975) starring Dada Kondke is a comedy film about a honest, yet bumbling policeman from #Mumbai. But did you know that the city had a real-life brave ‘Pandu Jamadar’ who struck terror in the hearts of criminals?

#history #MumbaiPolice

Read this thread on a legendary detective of the erstwhile #BombayPolice, who cracked a bank robbery which had a Bollywood film producer as a kingpin & involved the infamous Chambal valley, dreaded as the stomping ground of dacoit gangs.

20 April 1951. General Douglas MacArthur was addressing Washington on the Korean crisis. But in this corner of the world, most #Mumbaikars were going around their lives as usual. Even then, a sensational crime was taking place in the city. #Mumbai

On Hornby Road (present-day) D.N Road in South Mumbai’s Fort area, a gang of dacoits stormed Lloyd’s Bank (today’s Standard Chartered bank), and fled with Rs 12 lakh in a hail of bullets. This was a massive amount in those days.

They killed taxi driver Lawrence Quadros, who was waiting in his taxi no BMT 1829 on Bastion Road behind the bank to carry this cash to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) located nearby. Quadros’ funeral had a massive turnout with almost all cab drivers present.

Quadros was the father of A.L Quadros, the chief of the Mumbai Taximens Association, the largest such union of taxi drivers. Pic: A L Quadros (Source: Mid Day).

The #MumbaiPolice crime branch traced the perpetrators of this crime to Delhi. Their leader was Anokhelal, who had produced the film ‘Ek Teri Nishani’ (1949). The stolen cash was recovered from the ravines of the Chambal, the infamous Chambal valley!

This dacoity was investigated by Inspector Hansraj S Ghaie, who later became an ACP and retired in 1969. But, the police team had a legendary officer feared by the underworld. Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Pandurang Sawlaram Sawant from the Crime branch, CID.

Sawant, who joined the force in 1942, had an excellent network of informants in the underworld. He was feared by the city’s criminal underbelly. This helped him crack the Lloyd’s bank dacoity case and crimes like the Bruce Street dacoity (1949), Marol dacoity (1954) & Town Hall

robbery (1955). The usual retort of most police officers, even successive police commissioners of #Mumbai, when confronted with a perplexing case was: Call Sawant. Mind you, then policemen relied on old-fashioned methods of policing like walking their beats. There were no mobiles

& even landlines were a rarity. So, the only way of cultivating sources and contacts was going out and meeting people. Now, technology has made things, including solving crimes, so easier.

His skills earned Sawant the Chief Minister’s gold medal (1957) & police medal (1959). He rose to the rank of a Jamadar or ASI from police constable. Sawant retired in 1979, but the exploits of this Pandu Jamadar passed into legend.

But, the relations between the Sawant family did not end here. His two sons joined the force & retired as ACPs.