Satish Shetty Murder: How noose tightened around Pune cops

Last week, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested two former officials of Pune's Local Crime Branch (LCB) for their alleged role in covering up the murder of Pune-based RTI activist Satish Shetty.

The audio clip

The arrests were made after a Zee Business team sent an email to the agency on March 31, questioning about an audio clip, recorded by the victim's brother Sandeep, in which CBI official Susheel Prasad Singh claimed that accused Virendra Mhaiskar, a real estate giant, met with the then CBI director Ranjit Sinha. An additional superintendent of police, Singh also blamed the topmost rung of the agency, including current director Anil Sinha, for allegedly trying to derail the probe by their own investigators.

CBI responded to the email after arresting former Pune cop BR Andhalkar on April 6. Four days later, it arrested another cop – Namdev Sukhdev Kathale – who like Andhalkar was a part of the local police investigation into Shetty's murder.

Denying the allegations made in the audio clip, the agency said the CBI official concerned had moved an affidavit before the Bombay High Court, wherein he said the decision to file a closure report dated August 11, 2014, was based on merits of the evidence on record. According to the affidavit, there was no pressure from any quarter and that Singh investigated the case with all fairness.

Unhappy with the way the probe was extended

It is important to mention that in the audio clip, Singh suggested that the former and current directors of CBI were not only unhappy with the way the probe was extended to land deals, but when he proposed to arrest the individuals, he was allegedly stopped.

A look at the closure report filed by the CBI regarding the role of Andhalkar and Kathale, however, shows how deeply the two were involved in derailing the probe.

CBI found six people had been arrested

After taking over the probe, the CBI found that six people had been arrested for murdering Shetty, one of whom was Dongraya Hanumanta Rathod. In his statement to the CBI, Shetty's cousin Mahesh claimed he never told the Pune police constables Mirghe and Jawle that Rathod was behind the murder. Further, Rathod's neighbour Sunita Bansode pointed out to the CBI that Rathod was very much at his home at the time of the murder, and had even assaulted her as he wanted to marry her daughter.

At the time of arresting Rathod, Kathale had shown a bloodied t-shirt and a pair of shoes as recovery. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) opined on December 21, 2010, that Shetty's DNA profile did not match with the blood found on Rathod's t-shirt. Kathale was exposed yet again when he had claimed to have taken Rathod outside of lock-up for probe but registers revealed that he was very much in the lock-up at the time stated by Kathale – 9.30am to 12.30pm on December 18.

Missing evidence and bribes

Moreover, local businessman Laxman Landage, who had employed Rathod, claimed that when Kathale first recovered the t-shirt, it had no blood stains. Langade also claimed that a bribe of Rs20,000 was given to Namdev.

During his questioning, home guard SB Patole said that Namdev did not recover the t-shirt in his presence, even though he claimed to do so in the panchama.

Chota Rajan's gang

But Kathale was not as deeply involved as Andhalkar, who was accused by Chandrakanth Dangre, cousin of one of the accused, of receiving Rs40 lakh as bribe to let off his cousin. Another person questioned by CBI claimed Andhalkar was close to Kishor Avare, who belonged to Chota Rajan's gang. The polygraph test of accused Chintaman Chandorkar showed inconsistencies when asked if Andhalkar ordered him to kill Shetty.

No blood trace

Also, Andhalkar's call records showed that he was in close nexus with Dangre, accused Virendra Mhaiskar and Ajit Kulkarni. A Koyta (type of sickle) recovered by CBI from Andhalkar's residence had blood on it. The CFSL, however, said DNA could not be generated from it while the Gujarat State Forensic Laboratory, in April 2014, opined that there was no blood trace on the Koyta.

Closure report

In its closure report, CBI said they did not find prosecutable evidence against the accused and no direct evidence against Mhaiskar. In the audio clip, CBI official Singh said Andhalkar was responsible for planning and executing Shetty's murder, and mentioned how the cop was supervising the Lonavla land deal case.

Two years later, the CBI said Andhalkar, in a polygraph test, gave contradictory statements and was subsequently put under arrest.