Click to play videoMumbai / Pune: Ducking from the probing flashes of the media at the Azad Maidan police station in Mumbai on Sunday evening, millionaire builder Avinash Bhosale was preparing for the worst.
Bhonsle claimed a tax refund at the Heathrow airport saying he would pay the same in India. When he reached Mumbai he tried to walk through the green channel and avoid customs with Rs 47 lakh in travellers cheques and five diamond studded watches.
He was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) early on Sunday morning, not knowing that authorities in London had tipped off Mumbai about him.
DRI officials then sent Bhosale, their biggest catch in months, to the Azad Maidan police station, for the night. When they turned up on Monday, Bhosale was gone, given bail late on Sunday night.
How did Avinash Bhosale get bail without the DRI even getting to know? It's this question that points to the loopholes in the legal system, which allow the rich and powerful to pull strings and literally walk out without spending a night in the lock up.
The DRI now wants to know why it was not told that Bhosale was getting bailed out and what the hurry was. Part of the answers could lie in the powerful political connections that Bhosale cultivated in his rapid rise to success.
Avinash Bhosale started his career as a small time builder in Pune, in 1980s. But now he is know for his high-end lifestyle. Bhosale owns a helicopter, a fleet of luxury cars, including Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, and a Mercedes SL 500.
Bhosale's 12 acre estate, at the centre of which is his 30,000 square foot bungalow, has been used for shooting films. Rajnikanth's Sivaji was the latest movie to be shot there.
It had also been considered as a residence for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt during a film shoot and is reputed to get his Rs 3 lakh a day in rent.
Bhosale runs a five star hotel in Pune and is building a luxury apartment complex and most of his money has been made out of Government construction contracts.
With top Maharashtra politicians using his helicopter regularly, his connections are impeccable - all of which will make the DRI's job all that much tougher.
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