Arun Gawli (Gangster) Age, Wife, Caste, Biography, Family, Facts & More

Bio
Real Name	Arun Gulab Gawli
Nickname	Daddy
Profession	Politician
Party	Akhil Bharatiya Sena
Biggest Rival	Dawood Ibrahim
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 5”
Weight (approx.)	in Kilograms- 62 kg in Pounds- 137 lbs
Eye Colour	Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Personal Life
Date of Birth	17 July 1955
Age (as in 2017)	62 Years
Birth Place	Kopargaon, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
Zodiac sign/Sun sign	Cancer
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
School	City High School
Educational Qualification	11th standard
Family	Father- Gulabrao (Worked in the mill industry) Mother- Lakshmibai Gulab Gawli Brother- Bappa Gawli (Died) Sister- Ashalata Gawli
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Kshatriya (Ahir)
Address	Geetai Housing Society, Dagdi Chawl, BJ Marg, Byculla, Mumbai
Hobbies	Playing snooker, watching gangster films
Controversies	• In 1986, he was arrested in the murder case of criminals Parasnath Pandey and Sashi Rasham, the kingpin of the Cobra Gang. • His gang killed Shiv Sena's MLA Ramesh More, Balasaheb Thackeray's confidant Jayant Jadhav and minority commission chief & MLA Ziauddin Bukhari. • In 2007, he hired contract killers to murder Shiv Sena's corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar. In August 2012, a Mumbai sessions court sentenced him to life imprisonment under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and fined him Rs. 17 lakh. He was released on bail after 18 years in prison.
Favourite Things
Favourite Food	Vada Pav
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital Status	Married
Wife/Spouse	Asha Gawli (Politician, She was Muslim before and was called, Zubeida Mujawar, but converted to Hinduism after marrying Arun Gawli)
Children	Daughters- Geeta Gawli, Yogita Gawli, Asmita Gawli Son- Mahesh Gawli
Money Factor
Net Worth (as in 2014)	INR 2 crore

Some Lesser Known Facts About Arun Gawli

• Does Arun Gawli smoke?: Yes

• Does Arun Gawli drink alcohol?: Yes

• Gawli was born into a poor family who used to live in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, but in the early 1950s, they shifted to Dagdi Chawl, Mumbai.

• Due to the poor financial condition of his family, he was forced to help his family in their business of supplying milk, around Saat Raasta area in Mumbai.

• He started his career as a mill worker at Khatau mills, but when mills started calling on strikes, he formed up the ‘Byculla gang’ with Babu Reshim and Rama Naik, in the 1970s. 

• Before working as a gangster, he also worked in Godrej and Crompton.

• His wife Asha Gawli was a Muslim before marrying him and was called with the name “Zubeida Mujawar.”

• In the 1980s, he entered Rama Naik’s gang and was initially given the task to provide protection to Dawood Ibrahim’s consignments.

• In 1986, he was arrested for the first time for the murder of criminal Parasnath Pandey and Sashi Rasham, the kingpin of the Cobra Gang.

• After Rama Naik got killed due to a land dispute with Dawood Ibrahim, Gawli became Dawood’s arch enemy.

• In the early 1990s, when his brother, Bappa Gawli, was brutally killed by Dawood’s men, he killed Dawood’s brother-in-law Ibrahim Parkar.

• He had a knack to escape from the jail.

• He was imprisoned for 9 years under TADA Act (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities).

• In 2004, he formed his own political party; ‘Akhil Bhartiya Sena’ and contested the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and was elected as an MLA from Dagdi Chawl, Mumbai.

• From 1986 to 2005, around 15 cases were registered against him, but none of the offenses were proven by the Police.

• He is a believer of Lord Ganesha and Lord Krishna, and is also a God-fearing man.

• He was booked in around 40 cases of various crimes.
• In 2007, Shiv Sena leader Kamlakar Jamsandekar was murdered, and Arun Gawli was arrested for plotting the crime.
• In August 2012, a Mumbai sessions court sentenced him to life imprisonment under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and fined him Rs. 17 lakh.

• Arjun Rampal portrayed his role in the film ‘Daddy’ (2017). 

• On 28 August 2025, the Supreme Court granted Arun Gawli bail, noting he had already spent nearly 20 years in jail. The court said his release came with conditions and could be cancelled if he broke the rules or faced new charges.

• On 3 September 2025, Arun Gawli was released from Nagpur Central Jail. He was immediately taken under security to the Nagpur airport and flown to Mumbai, where he was welcomed at Dagdi Chawl by family, lawyers, and supporters.
  

  3 September 2025: Arun Gawli being welcomed at his residence at Dagdi Chawl in Mumbai