Thane, Oct 19 An old political dispute linked to Thane civic polls led to the murder of local Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar month, a lawyer representing his family said in a court on Monday, citing the Uttar Pradesh police who questioned two of the accused after arresting them.
The court in Maharashtra’s Thane city extended till October 22, the police custody of the two accused, Santosh Kanojia alias Talli and Amit Singh alias Paplu, who were arrested from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh earlier this month and later brought here.
Investigating Officer (IO) Sailesh Salvi of the Thane police’s Special Investigation Team, probing the September 29 crime, stated that after the expiry of their previous custody on October 19, Kanojia and Singh were produced before Magistrate S B Sable, where the SIT sought an extension of their remand.
The prosecution argued that further custodial remand of the accused was necessary to recover the weapons used by the assailants. After hearing submissions from both sides, the magistrate extended the duo’s remand till October 22.
Purnekar, the Manpada ward division chief (Vibhag Pramukh) of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Opposition outfit, was assaulted and shot dead by assailants outside his party office.
In legal proceedings before the court, advocate Sameer Hatle, representing the complainant (Purnekar’s family), brought crucial revelations to light by submitting an official press note issued on October 10 by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh police.
According to disclosures presented by Hatle citing the press note, the two accused, Kanojia and Singh, told the UP STF after their arrest that the murder was executed due to an old political dispute concerning Thane Municipal Corporation elections held in January this year.
The investigation has so far revealed that Purnekar’s murder was a meticulously planned conspiracy involving prior reconnaissance, logistics, and weapons arranged by key conspirators, including Subhash alias Pappya Shinde, the first accused to be arrested in the case, the Thane police said.
Technical analysis and localized intelligence previously established that Singh acted as the helmet-wearing accomplice who arrived at the crime scene alongside Kanojia. Following the attack, the duo initially fled towards adjoining Raigad district before escaping to Prayagraj, where they spent 13 days in hiding, they said.
A total of five individuals, including Kanojia, Singh and Subhash Shinde, have been arrested so far for the local politician’s murder.
(PTI News)
