Former Maharashtra DGP Arvind Inamdar passes away at 79

Former Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Arvind Inamdar died at a private hospital on Friday, November 8. According to a police official, 79-year-old Inamdar was undergoing treatment at the hospital for the last one week and breathed his last at 2:20 am.

Inamdar became a prominent figure after his contribution for investigation in the sensational Jalgaon sex scandal and human trafficking case of July 1994. He then served as the DGP between October 1997 and January 2000.

What is Jalgaon Sex Scandal and Human Trafficking Case?

The Jalgaon Sex Scandal was one of the shocking crime cases of Maharashtra that came to light in 1994. As the details came to light, it was unearthed that the case was of human trafficking, rape, and sexual slavery that took place in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India.

The women, many of them school-going minors, were tricked, drugged and sometimes tortured for rape by businessmen, professionals, politicians and criminals. The scandal is said to have involved nearly 300 to 500 women and had been running for 5-12 years. The investigation revealed it was a nexus of the town’s influential people who exploited the girls.

For 5-12 years, the victims were being exploited until in 1993, a few girls finally lodged a police complaint. After which, the then district superintendent of police Deepak Jog started an investigation and soon complaints began pouring in.

Following the uproar, a special investigation team was stationed at Jalgaon. Headed by Arvind Inamdar, Meera Borwankar and Deepak Jog, it got cracking at the case. About 20 cases of sexual exploitation, including 12 rapes, were registered in Jalgaon and neighbouring Bhusaval. Some of the victims were just 12-year-olds, and all came from poor families.

In his last few years, Inamdar used to honour retired policemen of all ranks through the Arvind Inamdar Foundation, the official added.

Meanwhile, Inamdar was also played a crucial role in guiding the batch of 1983 “encounter specialist” policemen, who got rid of organised crime in Mumbai who at the time had become a hub for criminals and underworld mafia.