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Main accused in Chandan Shewani murder case arrested by Pune police
The man has been identified as Parvez Haneef Shaikh, 42, a resident of Hadapsar
The main accused involved in the murder of city-based businessman Chandan Shewani was arrested by the Pune police crime branch on Wednesday.
The man has been identified as Parvez Haneef Shaikh, 42, a resident of Hadapsar. He was arrested from Mahuli Sangam Ghat area located around 10km from Satara, according to Ashok Morale, additional commissioner of police, crime, Pune.
Chandan Shewani, 48, who used to own a footwear store on Laxmi road, was found dead with three bullet wounds near a canal in Lonanad, Satara, on January 5. He was kidnapped from Pune the night before he was found dead. An extortion note was found in Shewani’s pocket. However, as no ransom call was made, the police had not suspected extortion as the motive in the initial stages of the investigation.
Subsequently, a case under Sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 201 (destruction of evidence), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code along with Section 3(25) of the Arms Act had been registered at the Bund garden police station.
“Five people were previously arrested in the case. This is the six and main arrest. So far, we believe that extortion was the purpose behind the murder based on interrogation of the five. Further interrogation will reveal any other possible angle,” said Additional CP Morale.
Shaikh was found in possession of three pistols, 40 rounds, two magazines, two mobile phones that he is suspected to have brought for sale in the area where he was arrested. A team of three officials of Unit 2 of the crime branch kept a watch on him for 26 hours before arresting him. The arrest was made by a team led by senior police inspector Mahendra Jagtap of Unit 2.
He was remanded to police custody till March 24 by a local court in Pune. Shaikh has a history of 18 serious offences and a conviction in a robbery case. He was released from jail in 2019, according to the police.
