Corporator murder: Teen’s parents weren’t aware of company he kept

MUMBAI: The 17-year-old boy taken into custody for the murder of former Shiv Sena corporator

Ashok Sawant

is one of three who stabbed him, police said on Wednesday.

The Class XII science student from Pune made plans to buy a car with the money he would get for committing the crime, they added. However, when he had to flee from Mumbai after Sawant’s murder, he was handed a mere Rs 500.

The teen has been sent to the observation home at Dongri where he will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).

This is the first time that he has been booked in an offence. Police will write to the JJB to request permission for trying him as an adult as the crime committed is heinous in nature.“His family was clueless about his activities,” said a police official. The teenager was lured with promises of a "bright future" by key accused Jagdish Pawar aka

Jagga

, said investigators. A police official said that for a month and half, the detained youngster shunted between Mumbai and Pune and participated in meetings between prime accused Jagdish

Pawar

and the other accused where they plotted former Sena corporator Ashok Sawant's murder.

The teen was only told that Pawar had an old rivalry with Sawant. The teen lived with his parents and a college-going sister in Pune. His father runs a photo lamination business.

The total number of arrests in the ex-corporator's murder has risen to three. On Monday, cops had arrested auto driver

Ganesh Jogdand

for ferrying the group around and Sohail Dodhia who had hired the auto. Cops said the minor first met Pawar and his aide in Pune last year when they were looking for directions to a particular place. The teen had been hanging out with his friends at that time. When they bumped into each other again, Pawar and his aide got talking to the teen. They started to meet more often. "Pawar convinced him that he made decent money and used to splurge in bars. The teen shared drinks and smoked pot with the men. He would stay with them whenever he came to Mumbai.

All this while, Pawar never mentioned any specific sum that would be given to the boy for participating in the crime," said a police official. Before Sawant's killing, the gang downed drinks while they were tailing him for four hours. The teen and two others were armed with knives and were involved in the stabbing. Afterwards, the teen handed over his knife to his co-accused. He left for Pune in the same set of bloodstained clothes that he had worn at the crime scene. The clothes have been recovered by the police.

All the accused went their separate ways post the murder. Two additional knives, which weren't used in the crime, were found in the back of the auto that the police seized from Jogdand. "The teen's parents were shocked as he had never mentioned anything about meeting Pawar or his aide. Whenever he went out of city, he told his family that he was accompanied by friends.

His family was acquainted with his friends from college," said the official.

Cops have not given a clean chit to Sawant's friend Vinod Sonawane who was with him on the night of the murder.