If Nayak and Sharma ruled Mumbai, Angre ran an undisputed one-man show in the eastern suburbs.
His network of informers is said to have been unrivalled.
Angre rose to prominence with a daring encounter of gangster Suresh Manchekar.
In 2003, Manchekar was slowly taking control over Thane, Dombivali, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai. As the police turned on the heat, his gang disbanded and Manchekar took off to the southern districts of Maharashtra.
In pursuit, a team led by Angre landed in Kolhapur and zeroed in on Manchekar's whereabouts. But when they actually set sight on him in a crowded market, they were not really sure if it was their man.
A composed Angre made just one phone call to a trusted informant in Mumbai. The informant called back in two minutes. Describing the dress and appearance of Manchekar, the informant asked: "And, is he wearing blue bathroom slippers?" The man in the market was indeed wearing blue bathroom slippers. Angre's method of nurturing informers had paid off again.
His fall from grace happened in 2008, when a builder lodged a complaint against him, saying Angre was harassing him for money. He had to surrender and was placed under suspension.
Photograph: Arun Patil
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