Fourth gunman still at large

MUMBAI, May 29: The police have been unsuccessful in nabbing the mysterious Shiva, allegedly the main hitman in the daylight murder of the ...

MUMBAI, May 29: The police have been unsuccessful in nabbing the mysterious Shiva, allegedly the main hitman in the daylight murder of the builder and owner of the Raghuvanshi Mills, Vallabhai Thakkar.

The identity of this `Shiva’ is itself a big question mark now. Underworld sources state that the Arun Gawli gang has no member by this name. The joint commissioner of police, crime, Ranjit Singh Sharma however maintains, “Shiva could be a pseudonym for a Pune-based gangster, Ajit.”

Sources insist that the person referred to as Shiva is actually Parshuram Jaitapkar alias Tembya Babu. Just last year Tembya along with another Gawli aide, Sanjay Bendkule were released on bail after being arrested in 1993 in connection with the murder of one Hamid, a close confidante of Amar Naik.

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When this was pointed out to Sharma, he merely said “I will look into the matter.”

Strangely, the crime branch of the Mumbai police seems to have scant information on the hitman, who they allege is the fourth man wanted in the shoot-out. This is evident from the fact the police have failed to mention his antecedents in the remand application filed before the Metropolitan Magistrate on Thursday afternoon. In fact, the police’s claim that Sada (Mama) Pawle and Shiva are different people is dismissed as a ploy to misguide investigations.

The police also claim that police parties have returned emptyhanded after carrying out raids at suspected hideouts in Sangli, Satara, Belgaum and other cities in the state. These places were raided after disclosures made by the three accused arrested in the Thakkar murder case on May 15 this month.

Besides Shiva, others implicated in the Thakkar murder case are Sharad Bandve, Ganesh Bhonsale alias Vakil, Pandya Madvi and Sudhir Surve. A manhunt has been launched to nab them, claim the police.

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According to the police, `Shiva’ and three other gunmen came in a blue Maruti on April 17, pumped four bullets into Thakkar’s head and neck and quickly disappeared. In a Test Identification Parade (TIP) held in Thane Jail on Tuesday (May 27), eyewitnesses identified the three accused as Rajendra Manohar Salvinkar alias Kala Raja, Rajesh Roy alias Raju Bengali and Ravindra Narayan Satne.

Thakkar is believed to have been a victim of extortion from land deals. There have already been seven land deal related shootouts in the last 18 months alone. Meanwhile, the Metropolitian Magistrate Esplande Court this afternoon remanded the three accused in the Thakkar murder case to police custody for another fortnight.