ACP examined in 2012 Taloja sub-jailor shooting case

Navi Mumbai: The assistant commissioner of police (Turbhe division), Kiran Patil, attended a hearing in the Alibaug district sessions court on Friday and Saturday in connection with a murder attempt on

Taloja

sub-jailor Bhaskar Kachare.

ACP

Patil was summoned as he was the senior inspector of Kharghar police station in September 2012. He was entrusted the job of investigating officer in the case.

“My statement was recorded before the judge after being examined by the four lawyers of the accused. I gave details of the probe and how the accused were traced and arrested. I was even asked to identify the six accused before the judge. The seventh accused died in jail custody,” ACP Kiran Patil said.

In all seven were arrested for attempting to murder the then sub-jailor of Taloja prison, Bhaskar Kachare. On September 9, 2012, two bikers waylaid the car in which Kachare was travelling with a friend some 2km from Taloja jail. The duo fired at Kachare. It could have been fatal but the bullet did not rupture his kidney.

ACP Patil said, “The attack on Kachare was seemingly pre-planned as the key accused, Vikrant Deshmukh, had a grudge against Kachare after an altercation inside the jail, five days before the incident.”

Prajyot Patil was the main shooter and it was his bullet that injured Kachare. His other aides were Sangram Khopade, Rupesh Shinde and Rajesh Kaikadi. The high court has thrice rejected their bail pleas. If convicted, all six will be sentenced to life imprisonment. This was the first MCOCA case in Navi Mumbai and if convicted it will also be the first MCOCA life term conviction. “Since the accused are MCOCA criminals, a speedy trial is expected and the conviction for life term is likely to happen by the end of January,” Patil said.