Arms dealer, aide held in Dabholkar murder case

PUNE: The Pune police on Monday made its first arrests in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case by taking into custody arms dealer Manish Nagori (24) and his accomplice, Vilas Khandelwal (22), from the Thane jail. The arrests came barely two days after state home minister R R Patil gave the Pune police a seven-day deadline to crack the case.
Interestingly, Nagori and Khandelwal were in the custody of the Pune police for more than 20 days in November-December last year.The police had then interrogated them on the basis of the ballistic report that suggested that the firearm used by Dabholkar's assailants matched the one seized from Nagori.
Dabholkar was shot dead on August 20, 2013, on the bridge next to Balgandharva Rangmandir. Interestingly, Nagori was arrested on the same day by the Mumbra police in an extortion case.
Top police officials remained tightlipped about the fresh leads they had to indicate the involvement of Nagori and Khandelwal in the murder case. However, they refuted charges that the duo was being framed by the police following Patil's seven-day deadline.
"We have arrested the two for their involvement in the Dabholkar murder conspiracy," said assistant commissioner of police (crime) Rajendra Bhamare, the investigating officer in the case. He refused to elaborate, saying, "We will produce them in court on Tuesday. Only then can further details be given."
The state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) had picked up the duo in October last year suspecting their involvement in Dabholkar's murder. However, though the ATS recovered about 47 pistols from them, they failed to establish their involvement in the murder.
The ATS had sought the ballistic expert report regarding one of the weapons seized from Nagori. The report stated that the firearm used by Dabholkar's assailants matched the one seized from Nagori. The ATS had handed over the report to the Pune police, who sought Nagori's custody.
Nagori was taken into custody by the Pune crime branch for the murder of a security guard of the University of Pune (UoP) and later for another murder in the jurisdiction of the Hinjewadi police. However, the police could not establish his role in either murder.
Meanwhile, the Kolhapur police on January 13 slapped the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Nagori and nine of his accomplices. Nagori was in the custody of the Kolhapur police and was recently shifted to the Thane jail.
A senior officer from the Pune crime branch told TOI, "We had already obtained the production warrant from the court here for Nagori and his accomplices."