THANE: Four days after former BJP MLA Narendra Pawar and dismissed police officer Shailesh Patil were accused of gang-raping a 22-year-old married woman at Patil’s farmhouse in Padgha, the CCTV cameras and Digital Video Recorder (DVR) installed at the property have gone missing. The farmhouse is located in a secluded area along National Highway 3 between Bhiwandi and Kalyan.
Thane Rural Police have formed three teams and launched a manhunt to trace them. The caretaker who allegedly dropped the survivor at her home the day after the incident has also gone missing. Pawar and Patil have been absconding since the rape allegations surfaced. The teams have also visited Mumbai Airport and contacted immigration authorities to ascertain whether the accused have fled the country. He added, “We have formed multiple teams to trace the absconding accused. Our teams have visited Mumbai Airport and immigration departments to verify whether they have fled the country. The investigation has also brought to the fore the criminal histories and past controversies surrounding Pawar and Patil. I have filed multiple police complaints against him, but no action was taken. He also alleged that Patil had links to the Abu Salem and Subhash Thakur gangs. Following court proceedings, the court directed the police to confiscate Patil’s firearm. In her representation, she alleged that Patil possessed an illegal firearm, was involved in organised crime and posed a grave threat to public safety.
After allegedly failing to get redressal from the local police, Sulochana wrote to the Prime Minister, chief minister and Chief Justice of India in February 2026. She also claimed that her husband had died due to extreme stress caused by Patil’s alleged illicit activities.
Rahul Zalte, deputy superintendent of police (DySP), Thane Rural, said the accused or their associates appeared to have removed the CCTV footage and DVR after the woman approached the police. “Since the victim approached the police and registered the case two days after the incident, the accused or their associates managed to remove the CCTV footage and the DVR from the spot,” Zalte told HT. Speaking to HT, Dixit said, “Shailesh Patil has been threatening me for several years. Dixit further alleged that Patil had been involved in several criminal activities and said he had previously been booked in connection with the Igatpuri Rainy Forest Call Centre racket, which involved several senior police officers.
On Friday, an associate of Patil, identified as Yogesh Harad, allegedly contacted a developer who had previously filed multiple cases against the dismissed police officer for extortion and criminal intimidation, and demanded that he withdraw the complaints or face severe consequences. On Friday, his associate called me again to force a withdrawal.
