01 October,2026 12:45 PM IST | Thane | Aishwarya Iyer
The remaining suspects are currently absconding, and several police teams have been formed to trace them, officials confirmed. Pic via Aishwarya Iyer
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep alias Balu Purnekar's murder investigation took a new turn on Wednesday after Kapurbawdi Police arrested Papya Shinde, who allegedly had an old enmity with the victim.
During interrogation, Shinde denied involvement in the killing and told police that he knew the suspects who had allegedly planned and carried out the murder, police sources said.
Police sources, however, said their intelligence inputs indicate that Shinde had a direct role in the killing. Following his arrest, Shinde was produced before a court on Wednesday, which remanded him to police custody for further interrogation.
Purnekar, the Thane division head of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), was shot dead outside his office in Manpada by unidentified assailants on Tuesday night, within the limits of the Kapurbawdi police station.
The remaining suspects are currently absconding, and several police teams have been formed to trace them, officials confirmed.
According to police sources, all the suspects, including Shinde, are locals and were familiar with the Manpada area and its various locations. Police therefore believe they did not need extensive reconnaissance of the locality. However, the suspects allegedly watched Purnekar and tracked his movements for a couple of days before the attack, sources said.
The reconnaissance was allegedly carried out to identify where Purnekar could be attacked, with the suspects eventually targeting him at his office near Ganesh Nagar Church in Manpada on Tuesday night.
Police have registered a case against five persons. The First Information Report (FIR) registered at Kapurbawdi Police Station names Shinde, Santosh Kanojiya, alias Talli, and Nikhil Yadav, alias Shooter, besides two unidentified persons. It invokes Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 103(1), 3(5) and 61, along with Sections 3, 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
According to the police, complainant Mandar Baban Ghodke, a relative of Purnekar and an eyewitness, was at Purnekar's office around 9.30 pm when Shinde arrived. After a while, Ghodke saw Kanojiya, Yadav and two other men approach the office and then heard what sounded like four to five rounds of firing.
Ghodke told police that he later found Purnekar injured and bleeding inside the office, with Shinde allegedly holding him. Purnekar was rushed to Infinity Hospital near R Mall, where doctors declared him dead. Police confirmed multiple sharp-weapon injuries, including injuries to his neck and right thigh.
"Shinde acted in concert as part of a planned conspiracy arising from political and social disputes. However, things would be clear after all suspects are arrested," a source said.
According to Ghodke, Shinde was Purnekar's former associate and had contested against him in an election around six months earlier. He had also visited Purnekar's office on September 28, a day before the murder, and stayed there for about an hour.
Police will now interrogate Shinde in custody and attempt to trace the remaining suspects and establish the exact sequence of the killing, sources said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday joined party workers and Purnekar's family in a protest outside Kapurbawdi police station, demanding the arrest of all those involved in the murder and the identification of its alleged mastermind.
