12 October,2026 10:25 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the murder of Pradeep Purnekar, who served as the Uddhav Thackeray-led party`s ward chief in Manpada. FILE PIC
A Thane court on Monday extended the police custody of Subhash alias Pappya Shinde, the first accused arrested in the murder of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Pradeep Purnekar, by a day. The court also remanded two suspects recently arrested in Uttar Pradesh to seven days of police custody, a lawyer told news agency PTI.
Shinde is a resident of Thane, while co-accused Santosh Kanojia alias Talli and Amit Singh alias Paplu were apprehended by a Thane Police team in Prayagraj last week.
Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the murder of Purnekar, who served as the Uddhav Thackeray-led party's ward chief in Manpada. He was killed on the night of September 29. The other two arrested accused are Nikhil Yadav and Nitesh Pawar.
Shinde, Kanojia and Singh were produced before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate SB Sable, said advocate Sameer Hatle, who represented the complainant in the case.
After hearing submissions from the police and the complainant's counsel, the court extended Shinde's police custody by a day and remanded Kanojia and Singh to seven days of police custody, Hatle said.
He added that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder produced Kanojia and Singh before the court after bringing them to Thane from Prayagraj on transit remand.
During the proceedings, investigators told the court that custodial interrogation of the two accused was crucial to establishing the full extent of the alleged murder conspiracy. They specifically sought to investigate who funded the duo's 13-day stay in Uttar Pradesh following Purnekar's murder.
The police also plan to question the arrested accused face-to-face to cross-check their statements against those given by witnesses. Investigators are examining how logistical support, weapons and getaway vehicles were arranged.
The probe has also revealed that one of the absconding suspects was allegedly provided with a new SIM card to maintain communication while keeping his original number inactive.
Investigators told the court that accused Nitesh Pawar was spotted with co-accused Shinde at around 8.45 am on the day of the murder. Shinde then allegedly went directly to Purnekar's office and remained there until the fatal attack took place.
The prosecution described the murder as a calculated and meticulously planned conspiracy.
Authorities also said that a car seized during the investigation was allegedly provided to the killers by Shinde to facilitate the crime and their subsequent escape.
According to the police, around six rounds were fired during the attack, two of which hit Purnekar. Three empty shell casings and one live cartridge were recovered from the crime scene. The attackers also allegedly assaulted him with a chopper, a sharp-edged weapon, after opening fire.
(With PTI inputs)
