Mumbai: Police arrest five accused in Kurar firing incident

This picture has been used for representational purpose only

The Kurar police arrested five accused who were allegedly involved in the Kurar firing case which was reported on Saturday. While the main accused that fired is still at large, a police team has been formed to search for the main accused in the Vasai and Virar area.

All the five accused who were caught are associated with the local Notorious criminal Uday Pathak gang who is currently in Arthur road jail and was booked and arrested in the murder charges of four innocent youths in the year 2011. The five accused have been identified as Nikhil Rokde (30), Vikas Pandey alias Pillu (23), Jitu Garasiya alias Chitlya (30), Suraj Sagre (28) and Pravin Prakash Baviskar (22).

According to the police officials, each and every accused has played their individual role in the crime. While one disclosed the identity of the victims and also kept a watch on their shops before committing the crime together with the main accused. It was also revealed the accused used to practice how to fire in the Appa Pada area that is adjacent to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

A day before the firing incident, a police source revealed that all the accused met the prime accused and mastermind, Uday Pathak, at the Arthur Road Jail, and he lured them to pay 10 thousand each, once he received the extortion money. The signature modus operandi of firing and leaving a latter while demanding extortion was used earlier by gangster Ravi Pujari, but one similar kind of firing incident had taken place in the Kurar area at a building construction site. An investigation revealed that Uday Pathak was behind the crime, and he plotted the incident and used his associate's help.

A CCTV grab showing the shooter

The firing incident which took place on Saturday created a doubt in the mind of Kurar police. The primary investigation also pointed the finger towards Pathak, while investigating the case, the police officials from Kurar police station got a lead which revealed the identity of the suspect accused while searching the CCTV footage.

The suspect was identified to be Uday Pathak's close associate, who hailed from his native village, a resident of Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh, his closed relatives, and family members were living in Shivaji Nagar area where the firing incident took place. The suspect is at large since the firing incident took place.

When the police detained a couple of people including the arrested accused, the clear story appeared in front of the police that the firing incident was done on the instruction of local goon Uday Pathak. The reason behind the firing incident was revealed to be extortion and that the gangster Intended to keep his pressure, panic terror on the people of the area, said a police officer from Kurar police station.

What happened in Kurar?

An unidentified man fired two rounds of bullets at a medical store and imitation jewellery shop in Kurar, Malad (East) around 1.30 pm on Saturday. Three people were injured in the incident, and the accused allegedly left extortion letters demanding extortion of Rs 1 crore from both shops.

The firing took place at Anand medical store in Bheemnagar, Kurar, and Rokadiya traders' artificial jewellery shop in the Shivaji Nagar area. While the accused has fled the scene.

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