Assassins may have escaped from Chandni Chowk to enter Raigad and then used the ferry wharf to Mumbai to evade the stepped-up vigil, say police
It has been exactly two months since two unidentified persons killed anti-superstition activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar near Omkareshwar temple in Pune. But despite spending crores of rupees in investigation and utilising services of more than 200 cops, there have been only sketchy details that the Pune police have managed to dig out so far.
The investigating team has tried to piece together sequence of events before and after the killing of Dr Dabholkar. There are still a few missing cues in the jigsaw puzzle. But the officers believe they are close to solving the case.
What cops know so far?
At least six persons were involved in ‘Operation Dabholkar’.
Dabhokar’s journey from Mumbai to Pune
Dr Dabholkar was followed extensively. Even on the eve of his killing, at least two persons followed Dr Dabholkar on the bus that he took from Dadar at 12.30 am. The police have scanned the CCTV footage and have questioned the passengers after scanning calls made from Dadar ST stand. What has emerged from the questioning of the passengers is that the two suspicious looking people were on the same bus that Dr Dabholkar took. One of them alighted at Panvel while another travelled up to Pune. A couple of devotees from the Sanatan Sanstha, the organisation which was earlier believed to have a hand in the killing, were brought in for questioning from Goa, but were released later. The organisation has since clarified that they have nothing to do with the murder. Investigators believe that the accomplice who got off the bus, might have met handlers in Panvel area and passed some crucial information to conspirators on that day.
At 4.30 am, Dr Dabholkar got off at Shivajinagar and hired a rickshaw. An officer said, “We questioned the rickshaw driver who told us that he dropped Dr Dabholkar in Shaniwar Peth area in the wee hours. He also insisted that nobody had followed him from Shivajinagar area.”
The murder
CCTV footage obtained from Moshi toll plaza shows two people riding a motorcyle around 5.38 am on August 20 entering Pune. The bike is of same make and colour as used by killers and confirmed by the eyewitnesses. The bikers carried a haversack and though the footage isn’t clear enough to confirm identity, investigators claim that bikers have close resemblance to the description of killers.
On August 20, Dr Dabholkar stepped out of the house at 6.50 am. It took him around 20 minutes to reach Maharashi Shinde Bridge.
“Meanwhile, the killers had arrived in the area. They first parked their vehicle near Omkareshwar temple and thereafter they followed Dabholkar. One of the killers called out Dr Dabholkar’s name to confirm his identity and then shot four bullets from close range. After killing him, the killers sped on the bike,” the officer added.
The escape
“We believe that the killers used the riverbed roads to leave the city. They may have escaped from Chandni Chowk to enter Raigad district and from there they might have gone to Alibaug and could have gone to Mumbai by taking a ferry wharf. Using this route allowed them to bypass the stepped-up police vigil on the normal route, which are the roads connecting Mumbai and Pune.”
How close are the cops?
The description of the motorcycle rider resembles a Nepali national. Following which, the Pune crime branch is verifying Mumbai gang members as most of the Nepali national gang members are operating in Mumbai. “We have verified the owners of more than 3,000 vehicles bearing number plates similar to that of the motorcycle used by the suspects. Besides, more than 735 historysheeters engaged in offences involving firearms were questioned,” said the officer.
The police have identified some of the callers and have been intercepting their calls as well, but nothing concrete has come of it. The investigators had also gone to Sabarmati jail and verified some of the criminals lodged in there.
The line of investigations
The description of motorcycle rider is resembling a Nepali national. Following which, the Pune crime branch are verifying Mumbai gang members as most of the Nepali gang members are operating in Mumbai.
Police have verified the owners of more than 3,000 vehicles bearing number plates similar to the motorcycle used by the suspects.
More than 735 criminals-on-record were interrogated who were previously involved in offences committed with firearms.
The investigators had also gone to Sabarmati jail and verified some of the criminals.
Two cops to give ‘crucial’ info regarding killers, but with a rider
Even as various agencies of the state police are struggling to get a clue in the sensational murder of Dr Narendra Dabholkar, two cops, including an inspector-ranked officer of Pune rural police, are claiming that they have crucial information that can help nab the killers. In return, they are demanding a small favour — withdrawal of departmental inquires that are going against them.
Superintendent of police Manojkumar Lohiya confirmed that the inspector-ranked officer and a police naik are facing departmental inquiry pertaining to helping robbers in escaping police custody.
However, when asked if the duo was ‘bargaining’ to provide information about Dabholkar’s killers in lieu of dismissal of inquiry, Lohiya said, “There is nothing like that. We are coordinating well with the city police.” A top brass police officer said, “The duo had shown us some photographs of one person claiming that he was one of the persons who had shot Dabholkar. But they asked us to withdraw inquiry against them. The duo had also met an additional commissioner of police officer in this regard but in vain.” A highly-placed source from Pune rural claimed that the departmental inquiry against the duo has been proved and action will be taken against them. The duo was working with a prominent branch of the Pune rural police before they were transferred to other branch following their wrongdoings.
A deputy superintendent of police (Dy.SP) ranked officer said, “If the duo has information, they would have given it to us. They are just trying to take advantage of the situation but we are not going to spare them.”
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