The Gamdevi police probing the striking MSRTC staffers' protest at Silver Oak, the official residence of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, arrested a 49-year-old man from Pune on Tuesday for his alleged involvement in plotting the incident. The police said the accused, Manoj Mudliyaar, was also part of the team that conducted a recce of Pawar’s residence in Mumbai. A mob of over 100 MSRTC workers had protested outside Pawar's house on April 8. Subsequently, a case was registered against 132 people on charges of criminal conspiracy, rioting and assault as well as using criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty under the Indian Penal Code. So far, 118 people, including the lawyer of the striking MSRTC workers, Gunaratna Sadavarte, have been arrested in the incident. The police said that Mudliyaar was apprehended from his residence in Pune after his role came to light during investigation of the other arrested accused. Apart from Mudliyaar, a person named Arun Magare from Mumbai has also been arrested for allegedly being a part of the protest. "He was arrested two days ago," said an officer. The police have added sections of criminal breach of trust against Sadavarte, as the officers have come to know that the lawyer took Rs 530 from nearly one lakh MSRTC workers. The police suspect that in all, he has taken Rs 1.84 crore from the workers. “We have seized a note counting machine from Gunaratna Sadavarte's house. We are trying to find out whether the machine was used to count the money that he had siphoned from MSRTC workers," said the officer. The officers also claimed that they have unraveled the conspiracy hatched by Sadavarte, his wife Jayshree Patil and two other accused, Abhishek Patil and Sandeep Godbole. "We have found CCTV footage, which shows that they met at the terrace of Sadavarte's residential building, and had hatched the conspiracy," said a senior IPS officer.
