CBI sleuths stunned NCP MP Padmasinh Patil by bringing him face to face with key conspirator Satish Mandade, who had already provided minute details of the plot
CBI sleuths stunned NCP MP Padmasinh Patil by bringing him face to face with key conspirator Satish Mandade, who had already provided minute details of the plot
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It required a smart, coordinated effort from the CBI to get Padmasinh Patil, the NCP MP from Osmanabad, to confess that he had indeed offered a Rs 1 crore supari to kill his cousin and Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar in 2006.
When the CBI investigators managed to trace Patil at his son Rana's house near Mantralaya, the NCP leader denied he had anything to do with the murder.
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Past Catching Up? NCP MP Padmasinh Patil after he was produced in Panvel court yesterday by the CBI. He has been remanded to the CBI's custody till June 14. |
During an intense grilling session, he insisted that his name was dragged into the case by his rivals who were out to malign him.
The strategyThat's when CBI's Superintendent of Police devised the plan to corner Patil. The CBI led Patil to believe that he would have to visit their STF office at CBD in Navi Mumbai to sign some documents.
Patil went with the officers without any apprehensions, but had a stunned look on his face once inside the office late Saturday evening.
He was made to sit opposite Satish Mandade, the main conspirator and the key accused in the case, and was asked to go through Mandade's confession.
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Mandade had not only given minute details of the plot, but had also stated how jeweller-turned-informer Parasmal Jain had offered him a Rs 1 crore supari.
Jain had earlier told the police that he received only Rs 25 lakh against the Rs 1 crore offered since he had failed to carry out the task on two earlier occasions.
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Patil was left with no choice, but to confess to his involvement in the murder. He was then taken into custody and his statement was recorded.
Rogue copsMandade's statement also included the name of a retired assistant commissioner of police, who was present when the plot was hatched in Dombivli. Incidentally, the ACP was involved in a series of encounters in Thane district during his tenure.
Another police officer, who is still in service, has also come under the CBI's scanner.
The drama into the case began on Saturday evening when CBI officers began their hunt for Patil in Pune. A CBI team was alerted to arrest him and escort him to Mumbai.
However, when they found out that he was not in Pune, the CBI launched a parallel manhunt in Nasik and Osmanabad. They finally nailed him in Mumbai at his son's house that evening.
Bhai vs Bhai
Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar had publicly accused his cousin Padamsinh Patil and a few others of embezzling farmers' investments in a major sugar scam.
Nimbalkar and his driver were found shot dead in a car on June 3, 2006, at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai.
