Tikku murder helped unearth 4 cases against Palande

The charge sheet filed in the murder of 62-year-old Arun Kumar Tikku holds considerable significance to the entire investigation mounted against Vijay Palande. Rahul Mahajani reports.

The charge sheet filed in the murder of 62-year-old Arun Kumar Tikku holds considerable significance to the entire investigation mounted against Vijay Palande.

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The case has helped unearth at least four other heinous crimes in which Palande has now been accused.

A resident of the building where Tikku was murdered and the security guard are the two main eyewitnesses in the case.

Police officials said the alert resident along with the guard confronted accused Dhananjay Shinde and Manoj Gajkosh.

"They weren't satisfied with the explanation the duo gave about the ruckus in Tikku's house. The resident then called up police, which led to the detection of the case," the official said.

The names of the two eyewitnesses have not been revealed, as they would be the key to Palande's conviction.

Officials said it was after Tikku's murder that Palande confessed to murdering aspiring producer Karan Kumar Kakkad. While finding Kakkad's body parts at Kumbharli ghat near Chiplun, the police found another skull.

Later the police found that Palande had jumped parole and visited Bangkok and Europe on passport obtained using fake addresses. Police also found bullets from the residence of Tikku after which a case under the Arms Act was registered.

However, the role of Palande's relative and now suspended police inspector Sanjay Shinde is not mentioned in the charge sheet.

Shinde's jeep, which had his uniform, was allegedly parked below Tikku's building during the murder. He had also called up Oshiwara police station when they had summoned Palande for questioning in the Kakkad disappearance case.

Mumbai police had recommended Shinde's dismissal, but director general of police K Subramanyam recommended a departmental inquiry.