Mumbai: The Mumbai Police's Crime Branch on Friday took over the investigation into the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar. According to an official, the probe agency has formed two teams, one team headed by an inspector-rank official is investigating the murder of Ghosalkar, while the second team is probing into the accidental death of his killer Mauris Noronh.
Abhishek (40), son of former MLA Vinod Ghosalkar was shot dead during a Facebook Live by Mauris Noronha, a local social activist in his office in IC Colony in the northern suburb of Borivali (West) on Thursday evening.
A senior police official said that the video of the incident which is doing rounds on social media showed Ghosalkar being shot in the abdomen and shoulder. The Crime Branch probe into the incident will focus on several aspects including who provided the weapon to Mauris Noronha and if he was under the influence of alcohol at the time. The probe agency will also question the people who were present at the spot when Ghosalkar was shot at.
A senior police official earlier told PTI that Ghosalkar was hit by four bullets. Noronha, who used an illegal pistol for the crime, then shot himself once, he added. Ghosalkar and Noronha had personal enmity but the Facebook live was arranged to clarify that they had come together, ending their bitterness for the betterment of the IC Colony area, another police official said.
The MHB Colony police registered a case after the murder, while Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satya Narayan and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Datta Nalawade visited the spot for the probe. Late in the night, the case was transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch for further investigation, a senior police official said. The decision was taken considering the seriousness of the matter and the scope of the probe, he said.
A team from the Crime Branch also visited the crime scene along with the local police, the official said. Later, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam and DCP (Crime) Raj Tilak Roshan also reached the spot in connection with the investigation. The team has started the probe and is trying to gather evidence, he said.
The Crime Branch will try to ascertain from where Noronha procured the pistol and who provided it to him, the official said. Inquiry with the people, who were at the spot during the incident is being conducted, he said. Police are also examining whether Noronha was under the influence of alcohol when pumped bullets into Ghosalkar, the official said, adding that his blood samples have been collected .
Hundreds of Sena (UBT) supporters gathered outside Karuna Hospital in north Mumbai, where Abhishek Ghosalkar was rushed to after he was fired upon, and its vicinity. Accordingly, heavy police deployment has been kept in the area to avoid any untoward incident, the official said. In the early hours of Friday, Ghosalkar's body was shifted to a state-run hospital for post-mortem, he said.
The incident took place days after a BJP MLA was caught on camera firing at an Eknath Shinde faction leader inside a police station at Ulhasnagar. Chief Minister Shinde said on Thursday that a probe was being launched into the latest firing incident.
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