Andheri firing case: Police did not know accused had a gun

Though the Andheri firing case is said to have happened on the ‘ spur of moment’, its genesis might lie in the society dispute, which was going on between the society members and the former custom officer.

Though the Andheri firing case is said to have happened on the ‘ spur of moment’, its genesis might lie in the society dispute, which was going on between the society members and the former custom officer.

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After Harish Marolia (57) brought Hemani Mehta (14) into his flat, he tried to console her and assured her that nothing will happen to her, said the police. “His wife Leena was also inside the flat at that time,” the police official added. The sources said that the D.N. Nagar police was not aware about Harish having a pistol.

The police has learnt that there was a proposal for the renovation of Saujanya Apartment at Andheri where Maroli lived for 20 years. The police sources said that few days before the firing incident, Harish attended a society meeting and raised certain objections to the proposal.

The police learnt that during the poll regarding the renovation plan, almost all the society members went against him, which caused a lot of anger inside him.

Last Thursday, Harish held hostage 14-year-old Hemani Mehta inside his flat. The police was called and in a shoot-out, Harish was allegedly killed. The girl was also found dead. The police said that Harish was apparently miffed with the noise happening due to the renovation work going around on an upper floor flat.

“The case has now been transferred to Santacruz police station for further investigation,” said Assistant Commissioner of police, Dilip Suryavanshi.

Samples sent to forensic lab

Experts at the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratory (DFSL), Kalina, have started examining the samples related to the DN Nagar shootout case. Last Thursday, Harish Marolia (65), a retired Customs officer, was killed by the police in a gunbattle after he allegedly shot Hemini Mehta (14) following a squabble in the society, Saujanya Apartments.

M.V. Garad, director of the forensic laboratory, said: “We have got the samples. The report would be submitted in a month.”