The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) arrested a famous contractor and hotelier Avinash Bhosale from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji airport on Sunday. His detention by DRI may send some panic to the political establishment in Maharashtra because Bhonsle has some big political connection and media rates him as a big power broker.

According to the report, Bhosale, a Pune resident, with his wife and three others associates arrived at Mumbai airport from London. The DRI officials found dutiable items in the baggage when they were trying to come out from green channel gate. The officials seized diamond-stud watches, each cost not less than Rs 10 lakh, several travel cheques.

Bhonsle has good relationship with top political leaders from NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena too. Bhonsle had also claimed a value-added tax (VAT) refund at London airport.
Now, a penalty of up to 300% of the value of the watches may be levied on Bhosale. The report says that Bhonsle and others except his wife were detained and later sent to the Azad Maidan police lock-up.

The Times of India has reported that several top politicians and a Union minister too had tried to take him out of the problem but he had been detained at the airport in Sahar for hours. Bhosale’s name had come into prominence when he had bagged some influential contracts for building dams and reservoirs in the Krishna Valley and other important areas when Sena-BJP was in power in Maharashtra.

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