Mauris bhai learnt to use a gun watching YouTube videos: Probe

The murder-suicide was supposed to carry out a day before the actual incident. It was aborted as his bodyguard had taken the pistol away with him

MUMBAI: Mauris Noronha, also known as Mauris bhai, the alleged killer of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar last week, had picked up shooting skills by watching YouTube videos. It is also believed Noronha found himself in the deep end after Ghosalkar had alerted the US Embassy about the alleged rape case, following which Noronha’s visa was cancelled.

ShivSena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar, a former corporator of Mumbai, was shot in the chest and abdomen as he was live on Facebook with Mauris Noronha. (Hindustan Times)

Mumbai police’s crime branch, which has so far recorded statements of more than 50 people, have also found that Noronha and Ghosalkar had meet a day prior to the firing incident at his office in IC Colony, Borivali West, when he wanted to carry out his plan. It had to be suspended as his bodyguard, Amarendra Mishra, had taken the pistol away with him. Noronha eventually managed to have Ghosalkar over to his office the next day, when the alleged murder-suicide was executed.

“Our technical teams that analysed Noronha’s internet surfing history have found he had searched the internet on using a gun and checked videos on YouTube on using pistols. He had hired Mishra in December, promising him a salary of ₹40,000 a month, and had asked him to keep the pistol in his office locker. Noronha had a duplicate key,” said an investigating officer, adding he had taken lessons from the security guard on handling and loading the pistol, following which he had carried out a dry run. When it was time to execute the plan, he was clear on the moves and the way forward.

“Noronha was unhappy with Ghosalkar as he believed that the latter had provoked the woman who had registered a rape case against him in 2002. He also believed that Ghosalkar had written to the US Embassy to hold back his visa, based on the serious allegations he faced in his own country, adding that the visa be issued only when his name would be cleared,” said the police officer.

A bar on his US travel impacted Noronha’s main source of livelihood – making the big bucks playing poker in Las Vegas. A professional poker player, he visited Vegas three to four times a year. It also shattered his political dreams and he had to resort to borrowing heavily to make ends meet.

“After the embassy’s action, he was left cornered. It also impacted his political ambitions. He used to carry out a lot of philanthropic activities in the area – to continue all that he borrowed heavily and went into huge debt. He owed money to local hoteliers – people would turn up for a good time, telling the owners Noronha or his wife would settle the bills. That added to his debts,” said the police officer.

Noronha was arrested in June 2022 for allegedly raping a 48-year-old woman, the wife of his acquaintance with whom he had some financial transactions. The MHB Colony police had booked him under sections 376, 420, 354 (B and C), and 506 for rape, outraging modesty of a woman, cheating, and threatening under the Indian Penal Code after the woman alleged that he called her at his residence under the guise of clearing their dues and forced himself upon her. He was arrested in the case at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport immediately after he returned from the US and had to spend 84 days behind bars before he was released on bail.

The officer said Noronha, who earlier worked on a ship and later in Dubai, told his wife Serena a number of times that he would not spare Ghosalkar.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Mishra, who has been arrested by the crime branch, was produced before a metropolitan magistrate court that sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.