Mumbai lawyer’s killer arrested: Father says Mumbai police made ‘the impossible possible’

“It is a huge work done and the police have done a fantastic job,” said the father.

“They (police) have made the impossible possible.” That’s how Atanu Purkayastha, the father of Mumbai-based lawyer Pallavi, reacted after learning about the arrest of convict Sajjad Mogul. Mogul was sentenced to life imprisonment and jumped parole in May 2016.

Pallavi was murdered in 2012.

“It is a huge work done and the police have done a fantastic job,” Atanu told HT. “One cannot absolutely loose hope and I was hopeful. Arresting him was a herculean task.”

Atanu , a senior IAS officer, was furious when Mogul jumped parole, stated that the existing parole laws are in place but it was the authorities who were at fault. As per the jail manual, parole is not granted to offenders who are convicted under such cases. “People committing such heinous crimes are not eligible for parole. There were violations of the rules for granting him parole,” said Purkayastha.

The distraught father had in the past questioned the decision of granting parole as there is a petition pending before the high court as the Maharashtra government is seeking capital punishment for him. Further, the opinion of the Mumbai police’s investigating officer was not asked while giving a go-ahead to parole.The Mumbai police had stated that they would have refused granting him parole if their opinion had been sought by the jail authorities.

With the arrest of Mogul, Atanu believes that the appeal for capital punishment will gather pace. “On a personal level, the arrest has come as a relief. He was hiding in J&K and to arrest him in his home town is a commendable job,” he said.