Pradeep Purnekar murder: Thane SIT likely to invoke MCOCA against five accused in the case

The Special Investigation Team SIT probing the murder of Shiv Sena UBT leader Pradeep Purnekar is preparing to invoke provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act MCOCA against the accused with investigators examining their criminal antecedents and the alleged planning behind the killingAccording to police sources the SIT is completing the legal formalities required to invoke the stringent antiorganised crime law Five accused have been arrested in connection with the murderThe investigation has revealed that the accused allegedly planned the murder conducted reconnaissance recce and arranged firearms other weapons and vehicles for the attack Investigators have also found evidence suggesting that the accused received firearms training although it remains unclear whether anyone else helped them prepare for the killingAccording to officials the first accused Subhash Shinde alias Papya Shinde has 11 cases registered against him including those related to intimidation assault grievous hurt and unlawful assembly The second accused Nitesh Pawar alias Bhawad has cases registered against him including attempted murder and murder The third accused Santosh Kanojia alias Talli has two noncognisable cases registered against him while no previous criminal cases have been reported against the other two accused Nikhil Yadav and Amit Singh alias PapluWeapons allegedly sourced from Uttar PradeshIn a recent development police have reportedly traced the source of two countrymade pistols allegedly used in the attack to Uttar Pradesh where they were purchased for Rs 15000 each The choppers allegedly used in the crime were reportedly procured from Mumbais Chor Bazaar for a total of around Rs 200 to Rs 250According to reports police have seized two pistols two choppers a mobile phone and a fourwheeler allegedly linked to the crime The investigation into the weapons trail and the role of those who allegedly arranged them is still underwayRajendra Shinde questioned again over alleged firearms trainingRajendra Shinde husband of former Thane mayor Meenakshi Shinde was questioned for the seventh time on Friday October 23 by the Thane Crime Branchs AntiExtortion Squad He was reportedly questioned for around six hours before being allowed to leaveThe questioning follows allegations made by Purnekars son Ram who claimed at a press conference that he had videos purportedly showing Rajendra Shinde teaching one of the accused how to handle and fire a gun Ram also alleged that Shinde could be the person wearing a helmet who was seen in CCTV footage from the night of the murder These allegations have not been confirmed by investigatorsPolice sources have indicated that the SIT may visit Mulshi in Pune district to gather information about the purported firearmstraining videoThe investigation is also examining why three CCTV cameras at Purnekars office were switched off at the time of the attack leaving the police without footage that could have captured the killingWho was PurnekarPurnekar a Shiv Sena UBT division head in Thane was shot and stabbed at his office in the Manpada area on September 29 The SIT is continuing to investigate the motive the alleged conspiracy and whether others were involved in planning or executing the murder