Mumbai: 117-year-old historic building of the Mumbai Crime Branch gets demolished; Memorial will be built

The 117-year-old historic building of the Mumbai Crime Branch, which has been a witness to Mumbai's criminal world and many important cases, was demolished last week. A memorial will now be built using stones from this building to commemorate this historic Crime Branch building, as well as to symbolise the strength, perseverance, and legacy of the Mumbai Police. The proposal in this regard is under consideration and technical aspects are being examined.

The Mumbai Crime Branch had an old two-storey stone building in the premises of the Mumbai Police headquarters at Crawford Market. After a structural inspection, it was recommended to demolish the building. The building was demolished last week. Senior officials have informed that there is a plan to use the stones from the demolished structure to build a fort-style rampart and create a memorial at the police ground of the Naigaon Police Headquarters. The proposal is currently under examination.

After independence, many high-level investigations, from anti-terrorism operations to important investigations into the criminal world, were planned and orchestrated in this building. Sanjay Dutt, who was involved in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, and Ajmal Kasab, the perpetrator of the 26/11 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, were interrogated in the same building. International criminal Charles Sobhraj, along with Chhota Rajan, Abu Salem, Arun Gawli, and Ejaz Lakdawala, was also questioned in the same building.

Features of the stone building

This building was constructed using 'Malad Stone' in 1909 during the British period. The building was known for its black stone and unique design. Teak wood was used for the interior decoration of this building. This building was constructed to strengthen the British intelligence system after the arrest of Lokmanya Tilak in 1908. 

The demolition of this building has been completed and the stone and wooden materials are being moved to the Naigaon Police Ground for the memorial.