The Bombay High Court has ordered police protection for the family of Kashinath Gharat, the property dealer murdered in Santacruz in 2005, after concerns over serial parole violator Azam Aslam Butt. Butt, sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder, has been missing from Nagpur Jail since his parole ended on May 6, 2023.

In response to a writ petition filed by the victim’s brother, Vishwanath Gharat, the court instructed the police to safeguard the family. The Santacruz police are required to visit the Gharat residence twice daily until Butt is apprehended.