Ahilyanagar police confirm negative report on gangster Nilesh Ghaywal’s passport application
The disclosure comes a day after reports that Ghaywal had managed to flee abroad, allegedly to London, using a passport obtained with an Ahilyanagar address.
PUNE: The Ahilyanagar police on Sunday confirmed that they had issued a negative verification report on the passport application of notorious Pune-based gangster Nilesh Ghaywal, even as he managed to procure a passport. The disclosure comes a day after reports that Ghaywal had managed to flee abroad, allegedly to London, using a passport obtained with an Ahilyanagar address.
Police officials said Ghaywal’s criminal record and multiple pending cases made him ineligible for a passport, and they had categorically marked his application as “negative” during the verification process.
District superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge said, “The application was in the year 2019-20. After reviewing it, we gave a negative report. What happened after that, we don’t know.”
Despite this adverse report, Ghaywal is suspected to have secured a passport and subsequently left the country. The incident has raised serious questions about procedural lapses and possible manipulation in the issuance of passports to individuals with criminal backgrounds.
Known as the leader of the Ghaywal gang, the gangster has been booked in several serious cases in Pune, including extortion, assault, and organised crime. Police sources said that because of his Pune address, it would have been difficult for him to obtain travel documents, which is why he may have applied in 2019-20 using an address from Kotwali Maliwada Road under Kotwali police station limits in Ahilyanagar.
Officials further stated that their negative verification report had been submitted within the stipulated time, but whether it was ignored, bypassed, or tampered with at the processing stage remains unclear.
Meanwhile, Pune police have intensified their search for Ghaywal. His sudden escape abroad has embarrassed the authorities and reignited debate on the need to strengthen the passport verification and monitoring system.
RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar, in a post on X, criticised Ahilyanagar for becoming what he termed a “Special Protection Zone.” He wrote: “Gangster Nilesh Ghaywal used a fake Ahmednagar address for his passport. Kotwali Police gave clearance without checking his criminal record! Earlier, Puja Khedkar got fake disability and non-creamy layer certificates from Ahmednagar. Despite police cases, no action on Dilip Khedkar & family.”
