Thane encounter: Diary shows holes in police theory

Last Thursday, three alleged extortionists were killed on the Thane Ghodbunder road by a Mumbai police team led by assistant police inspecto...

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Last Thursday, three alleged extortionists were killed on the Thane Ghodbunder road by a Mumbai police team led by assistant police inspector Ravindra Angre.

The next day, Angre said he had completed 50 encounters in his career by killing the ‘‘gangsters’’ who had come to extort money from a bar-owner. Later, he told the media that Rahul Rane (28), Kiran Lohar (24) and Rajiv Angre (30) were involved in two murders and absconding.

The family of Rahul Rane, however, claims the encounter was fake and a ‘‘contract killing’’. Investigations by The Indian Express show Rane was not an absconder. The bail condition stipulated Rane to sign his presence at the Ambernath police station on Monday and Wednesday. A diary maintained by Rane, which has assistant sub-inspector K.R. Phopahre’s signature, shows that he had not missed the days even once.

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Rane’s wife Rutuja, seven months pregnant, says she knew the encounter was due and had petitioned the local police, the chief minister and the PM. The family will lodge a complaint with the NHRC.

Rane, Angre and Lohar were accused in the murder of Shiv Sena corporator Prasanna Kulkarni in 2000 and builder Kishor Pawar in 1998.

‘‘Ever since he got out on bail, he wanted to live in peace. But he was slapped with silly charges and externed in January. One case was about threatening a person and snatching Rs 200 from him. The complainants were not identified,” alleges Rutuja.

Rane along with eight others had been accused of extorting Rs 50,000 from a building material supplier, Vikas Kanadi. Kanadi’s driver Ishwar Rao, who lodged the complaint, signed an affidavit the next day that he filed the FIR under duress.

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While Police Commissioner S.M. Shangari called the encounter genuine, sub-inspector Angre said any family which loses its son would say such things.