Did Pune cops offer a man Rs20 lakh to admit having played a role in the murder of anti-superstition activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar? That is what illegal arms dealer Manish Nagori, claimed before a Pune court on Monday.
Nagori was earlier held in connection with the Dabholkar murder, but the police failed to establish his links in that case. He claimed that cops offered him Rs 20 lakh to accept the blame so they could wash their hands off the case.
While the judge didn’t ask him any questions, Nagori’s statement in court has raised serious questions on the investigations of the Pune police in the sensational murder case.
Nagori’s name first surfaced when he was picked up by the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) that was trying to establish his links in the Dabholkar murder case. After they couldn’t prove his link, the arrest was shown by the city police in connection with the unsolved murder case of Pune University’s watchman Pralhad Jogdhankar. A few weeks later, the Hinjewadi police arrested him in the murder case of an unidentified person.
Finally, on December 30, Nagori was arrested under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA) slapped by Kolhapur rural police against Nagori and his gang of nine persons. Since the Kolhapur police has no MCOCA court, Nagori and the nine others were produced before the special judge (MCOCA) SD Dharne in Pune for demanding extension of police custody.
Kolhapur police claimed that as there is a riot situation in Kolhapur, they are unable to focus in the case and police custody of one more week is needed.
It was at this time that Nagori, who was standing with folded hands before the judge, requested that he be allowed to reveal some information. Nagore said, “The police are not investigating the case of MCOCA as they have claimed. Instead, whenever they interrogate me, they talk about Dr Narendra Dabholkar murder case and exhort me to confess to the crime. I have even been offered Rs20 lakh cash.”
Nagore’s lawyer Mikhil Chate told dna, “Our client said he was being bribed to accept the charge of Dr Dabholkar’s murder. Even earlier, it was brought to the court’s notice that the police are unnecessarily adding all cases against him while the true motive is investigation of the Dabholkar murder case.”
Judge Dharne remanded Nagore and his gang in police custody till January 18. Nagore’s lawyers Biju Aloor and Mikhil Chate opposed the plea for police custody on the grounds that the police had sufficient time for investigation and from the past two months, Nagori and others were in custody with investigation agencies like anti-terrorism squad, Pune police, Pune police crime branch, Mumbai, Thane, Kolhapur and Satara police.
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