Sunil Loharia murder suspect's driver traced to Maharashtra-Karnataka border

Amidst speculations that driver of architect Anurag Garg, a co-accused in the builder Sunil Loharia murder case who has been missing since a few days after the murder could well have been eliminated, has been traced to a village near Maharashtra-Karnataka border, the police sources said.

Loharia was shot outside his Vashi office allegedly by Venkatesh Shettiar and Wajid Qureshi on February 16 last year at the behest of former police inspector Emmanuel Amolik. Garg, who was among the five people named by Loharia before he died, is alleged to have given the contract to Amolik.

During the course of the investigation the police had learnt that Garg's driver Prashant Kamble, who had delivered the supari (contract) money from Garg to Amolik has been missing since few days after the murder, the police said.

"We got in touch with Kamble's brother who told us that his brother is staying in a village near Maharashtra-Karnataka border. It has been learnt that since Garg's name had cropped up in the case and he was on the run, Kamble feared that police would trace him and had fled due to fear. We would soon be recording his statement as he would be our witness in the case," said a crime branch officer, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, the police sources said before absconding Garg had taken along Rs6 lakh cash. "He stayed in plush hotels in Uttar Pradesh and as the money was getting spent heavily he started staying in lodges.

Finally, he went on to stay in dharamshalas and ashrams in Mathura and Vrindavan since the money with him was getting over. Once Garg was short of cash, he decided to surrender before the police on May 9," said another police officer.