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Attack on Sena leader: Two more arrested
The anti-extortion cell on Friday arrested two more men – Laxman Pawar, 45, and Vijay Waghmare, 40 – in connection with the firing on Shiv Sena leader Chandrashekhar
The anti-extortion cell on Friday arrested two more men – Laxman Pawar, 45, and Vijay Waghmare, 40 – in connection with the firing on Shiv Sena leader Chandrashekhar Jadhav in Vikhroli on December 19. The number of arrests in the case has now touched six, even as the two main accused who gave the contract to gangster Prasad Pujari are still wanted.
According to the preliminary inquiry, Jadhav was shot at over the tussle between contractors in a redevelopment project in Tagore Nagar in Vikhroli (East). The police have invoked the MCOCA charges against all accused.
Pawar is a labour contractor and Waghmare his associate. “The two showed the Sai Baba temple, which Jadhav visited daily and where the shootout took place, to shooter Sagar Mishra and his associate Umesh Shetty,” said an officer. “Being a local resident of Vikhroli, Pawar and Waghmare also helped Mishra and Shetty conduct a reconnaissance and helped them identify Jadhav.”
Shetty was waiting outside the temple, while Mishra went inside and opened fire on Jadhav. Hearing the gunshots, Jadhav’s son and passers-by rushed to the temple and caught Mishra and beat him up. Shetty managed to flee, but his image was captured on the CCTV camera outside the temple.
Mishra initially claimed he was Abhay Vikram Singh. After scrutinising Mishra’s call records, AEC officers arrested Krishnadhar Singh, 20, from Madhya Pradesh and Anand Phadtare, 26, from Thane on December 25. Police said Phadtare had provided a bike without a numberplate which was used in the attack. Shetty was allegedly in touch with Pujari for a long time and helped him run his extortion racket.
Using the CCTV footage, police were able to identify Shetty, but he fled to Bengaluru soon after the incident. Shetty came to Mumbai and was arrested from Koparkhairane in Navi Mumbai on January 6.
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