Externment, or being declared a tadipaar in local parlance, is a 19th century practice used in British India. But with modern communication facilities and hi-tech gadgetry, it is but an atavism. In fact, during his sojourn at Amravati, Gawli regularly met several city businessmen who called on him to settle extortion claims. Now that he is free, he could meet potential victims at his new hideout in Pune.

Nor does externment matter in the age of the expatriate gang boss. Today, all the big underworld dons and their cronies operate from abroad. While Dawood Ibrahim is based inKarachi, his brothers Anees, Noora and Kayum operate from Dubai. Key Dawood associates Chhota Shakeel and Abu Salem are also believed to be based in Dubai. While his rival Chhota Rajan shuttles around in South East Asia, his trusted associates Guru Satam and Rohit Verma are in Kathmandu.

Dreaded gangsters Ashwin Naik and Suresh Manchekar too have been ducking the police dragnet by staying out of the country. In almost every instance, handy mobile and satellite phones have been their most effective weapons.

Police sources say Gawli has an army of aides who can take charge in his absence as they have done in the past. Some of them, who figure high on the list of most wanted, are Namdeo Patil, Keshav Utchil alias Anna, Mohan Mali, Sudha Murgal and Dilip Kulkarni. Other key associates are Vinayak Karanjekar and Sunil Ghate.

Ghate was already Gawli's second-in-command while the don was imprisoned in 1997. In fact, the deadly hitman continued to handle the gang's operations from the Thane jail after hesurrendered to the police following Sada Pawle's death in a police encounter on September 26, 1997. At present, Ghate is out on bail. Also, even while Gawli stayed at Dagdi Chawl, he seldom issued threats in his own name. Most of them were issued in the name of his frontman, Dilip Kulkarni alias DK. The gangster's externment from Mumbai for two years will do little to stem the threats.

While Gawli may now be able to dodge the constant raid-a-day regime at his Dagdi Chawl, he could however take a while to adjust to his new environs. During this period, he could face some threats from rivals. But the gangster is already reported to have several contacts in the Pune-Lonavala region, where associates like Babloo Makwana and Sharad Barte have been actively training new recruits.

At Lonavala, some of Gawli's distant relatives were in key municipal posts and many are staunch followers of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena (ABS) floated by him in early 1997. The approximately 200 ABS shakhas in and around Pune may helpnetworking during his stint there while the 600-odd gangsters owing allegiance to him could add to his muscle power. Most of the gangsters here are divided into five groups headed by associates who take their instructions directly from the don.

The hitmen hired by Gawli in this region are regular members of the gang and receive a stipulated amount as salary, which is not the practice with rival gangs. The rules are strict and defaulters are punished severely, even with death.

Moreover, the gang will not be faced with a cash crunch as the don has instituted a chalu bank with deposits of about Rs 30 lakh. The account is held by a senior gang member, authorised to spend the money in an emergency.