THANE: The Thane police special investigation team (SIT) probing the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar on Friday arrested two accused from Karnala in Raigad district while they were trying to flee to Goa, taking the total number of arrests in the case to three.
“Me or my family have nothing to do with the murder. Probing all angles: Police Pappya Shinde, a former aide and close friend of Purnekar who was present when the attack took place, was arrested hours after the murder, as police suspected his involvement after finding that he was unhurt despite four to five bullets being fired. Shinde had more than 12 criminal cases registered against him, including for attempted murder, extortion, and threatening and causing bodily injury, investigators said. On Friday, Nitesh Pawar and Nikhil Yadav, who allegedly opened fire at Purnekar on September 29, were traced to and arrested from Karnala in Pen, based on information provided by five persons who were detained and interrogated earlier. The duo was produced before a magistrate court in Thane on Friday evening and remanded in police custody till October 8.
I am ready to face the police probe,” she said. Advocate Santosh Sawardekar, representing both the arrested accused, said the police had arrested them based only on the statement of Pappya Shinde, who was in police custody. On Friday, Shinde’s arch rival and state forest minister Ganesh Naik met Purnekar’s family and assured them of a proper probe into the incident. On Friday, Meenakshi Shinde also addressed a press conference and denied any links to the murder.
Rajendra Shinde, both associated with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, were behind his murder, the Shiv Sena chief has maintained silence on the issue While Purnekar’s family has alleged that former Thane mayor Meenakshi Shinde and her husband.
