Mumbai: A family feud over property, an alleged meeting with an underworld gangster to settle it, and a shootout — Pune’s Agrawal family of prominent city-based real estate developers, is no stranger to controversy.
The family has been making headlines after a member, a minor, allegedly drove his father’s Porsche while inebriated and collided with a motorcycle, killing two persons in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar locality in the early hours of Sunday. The police has arrested the teenager’s father, Vishal Agrawal, while the boy was granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board.
But this was not the family’s first run in with the law.
Vishal’s father, 76-year-old Surendrakumar Agrawal, was chargesheeted in a case for allegedly attempting to murder Ajay Bhosale, a former Pune corporator now city president of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and colluding with gangster Chhota Rajan (Rajendra Nikalje) for the same.
According to court documents, the charges have been framed and the trial is underway.
Surendrakumar Agrawal is currently out on anticipatory bail granted by the Bombay High Court.
Hearing Agrawal’s anticipatory bail plea, the high court in March this year said, “By now, a period of 15 long years have elapsed from the date of the alleged incident. Investigations are already complete and a chargesheet has been filed against the applicant in the year 2020. The charge in the case has been framed on 20 December 2021 and it appears that the trial is at an advanced stage where prosecution witnesses are under examination.”
“The current age of the applicant is reportedly 76 years. Considering these aspects, in my view, the interim protection granted in favour of the applicant deserves to be made absolute subject to the condition that the applicant presents himself before the trial court on each date of hearing,” the court added.
Surendrakumar Agrawal and his son Vishal are directors of Pune-based real estate firms Bramha Multicon Pvt Ltd, Bramha Leisures Pvt Ltd and Bramha Multispaces Pvt Ltd.
“The Agrawals are all very influential. The case was initially with the Pune Police and then the Central Bureau of Investigation took over. Both agencies had all the evidence, but they did not arrest him (Surendrakumar Agrawal),” Bhosale alleged, while speaking with ThePrint Wednesday.
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Alleged Chhota Rajan connection
According to court documents, the case stemmed from a feud among the Agrawal brothers of the Bramha Corp over property. Surendrakumar was on one side, and his three brothers on the other.
The Bramha Corp, founded by Bramhadatta Agrawal, has been in the real estate industry for over four decades and is known for its prime real estate projects such as the Residency Club in Pune, bringing hospitality brand Le Meridien (now Sheraton Grand) to Pune and F Residences in Kalyani Nagar developed in collaboration with FashionTV, among others.
“To scare the brothers, Surendrakumar approached Chhota Rajan, first through an intermediary, and then went to Bangkok to meet him. A witness in the case confirmed how he took him along and even bought air tickets,” an officer involved in the investigation told ThePrint.
Bhosale was known to be close to Ram Kumar Agrawal, who Surendrakumar was primarily at odds with, the official said. In October 2009, Bhosale was contesting the assembly polls as a candidate of the undivided Shiv Sena and was fired at while on the campaign trail by two unidentified persons.
“When the first bullet missed him, the assailants chased him and close to German Bakery at Koregaon Park, they fired a second bullet that hit Ajay Bhosale’s driver. The driver survived,” said the officer mentioned earlier.
Bund Garden police station in Pune first registered a case in connection with the attack. It was later taken over by the CBI, which registered an FIR in 2017. The CBI filed its chargesheet in the case in 2020, while the charges were framed in December 2021.
Bhosale told ThePrint, “The trial is happening in Mumbai where all cases involving Chhota Rajan are being heard together. They are currently examining prosecution witnesses.”
He added that the Agrawal brothers of Bramha Corp eventually split in 2010. Surendrakumar Agrawal’s Bramha Multicon and Bramha Multispaces were incorporated in December 2010, while Bramha Leisures was incorporated in June 2009.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Pune Porsche accident has clear message for Indians—if you’re powerful, law is optional
Just to clarify, Bramha Corp is a separate entity. Vishal Agarwal owns Bramha Realty and Infrastructure, not Bramha Corp. Let’s share the right details.
I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.