Auto driver claims he was threatened twice in July; he informed cops but they’ve done precious little about it
Lahoria's office at Sector 28 in Vashi
Ferrying a bleeding Sunil Lahoria to the hospital the day he was shot in 2013 has come back to haunt a 33-year-old auto rickshaw driver, who is also a star witness in the Navi Mumbai-based developer’s murder case. Three years after the incident, the man was threatened twice in June by masked men who asked him to ‘leave Mumbai and stay away from court.’
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No action yet
The driver claims he has approached the police about the threat to his life, but no action has been taken yet.
Speaking to mid-day, the driver said the threat and harassment started after he became the prime witness in Lahoria’s well-known murder case.
He stays in Navi Mumbai with his parents, wife and two children and has been driving an auto rickshaw for the last 10 years.
Witness to last words
On the fateful day in 2013, when the driver took Lahoria in his auto, he told Satendra Pandey, another witness, “Suresh Bijlani and Anurag Garg are trying to get me killed. They kept threatening me and now, they’re trying to get me killed.”
The 33-year-old autorickshaw driver was witness to what would then be Lahoria’s last words.
He was first threatened on June 10 in Koparkhairane, near Adarsh Bar by two men who got into his auto.
“They said, ‘leave Bombay and don’t be seen near any court.’ Then, they got down near Koparkhairane railway station,” said the driver.
After this incident, he immediately left for his village in Satara and returned on June 20. But the threats refused to stop even then.
The second threat
On June 21, two men entered the auto near Kopri Gaon. The witness said, “They said, ‘Why did you return to Mumbai when we asked you not to? If you’re seen here again then Bijlani (Suresh Bijlani, one of the accused) wouldn’t mind spending on another bullet.’ One of them was wearing a handkerchief and got down at APMC market. This time I was scared for my life and rushed home.”
On June 23, he then contacted inspector Santosh Bagwe, of the Mumbai crime branch and narrated the ordeal to him.
“Bagwe was in touch with him and asked him to feel free to contact him anytime. Accordingly on July 2, Bagwe took my statement,” he added.
When mid-day questioned Santosh Bagwe, he replied saying that he is not aware about the driver receiving any threats.
Cops taking a step back
“After the threat I am very scared and avoid driving after it is dark. But till when I have to face the heat? The police who made me the witness and also taking a step back and have made no progress in the threats face by me,” he added.
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