2 key accused in Mumbai Shiv Sena leader’s murder went to his funeral, garlanded body

The duo kept smiling when they came to the funeral, Sachin Sawant’s son Omkar said.

A day after the murder of Shiv Sena leader Sachin Sawant, 47, the mastermind and his accomplice mourned the death and paid glowing tributes with the biggest garland at the funeral, according to the family.

Shiv Sena leader Sachin Sawant was killed on April 22 near his house in Kandivli.

Brijesh Patel, 36, and his aide Nilesh Sharma, 27, are among the seven people arrested. They allegedly gave a ₹10-lakh contract to the other accused to bump off Sawant over a slum redevelopment rivalry. One person is wanted. Patel and Sharma garlanded Sawant’s body but kept smiling, said Sawant’s son Omkar. The Kurar police confirmed that Patel and Sharma attended the funeral on April 23 as they were confident that no one will suspect them. They were remorseless, said the police.

“I saw them smiling but I didn’t feel they could be behind the murder. Their garland was the biggest. But they didn’t touch my father’s feet, which is a norm for younger people,” said Omkar.

The seven accused in the past were involved in petty. Sharma has been living near Sawant’s residence at Ganesh Krupa chawl in Kandivli (East) since childhood. Sharma has had first information reports (FIRs) registered against him for assault and theft.

The trouble began when Sharma and his brother started committing crimes and were depending on Sawant to bail them out. The relationship between the two worsened after Sharma’s elder brother molested a woman, and Sawant refused to help him.

It became more acrimonious when Sharma demanded his share in a Slum Redevelopment Authority project in Kandivli. Sharma asked for Sawant’s help in facilitating alterations to his chawl. But Sawant did not cooperate. This was the last straw that snapped the ties six months ago.