Thane, Oct 9 (PTI) Two persons were held from Uttar Pradesh on Friday for alleged involvement in the September 29 murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar, taking the number of arrests in the case to five, a police official said.
Santosh Kanojia alias Talli and Amit Singh alias Paplu were apprehended by a team of Thane Police from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, he said.
Kanojia was hiding inside a temple to evade arrest, the official said.
Sources said a lookout circular (LOC) was issued against Kanojia earlier amid suspicion that he might attempt to flee the country or move across states.
The official said a major part of the probe was to find out the identity of the assailant who had worn a helmet.
“This helmet-wearing person had come to the scene of the crime along with Kanojia. We now know the helmet-wearing person is Amit Singh, a resident of Mira Bhayander area in Thane district,” he said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Thane police had earlier arrested Subhash alias Pappya Shinde, Nikhil Yadav and Nitesh Pawar.
The entire murder plot was orchestrated by Kanojia and Shinde, who arranged the weapons and logistics, including the vehicle used during the execution of the crime, the official said.
“Immediately after committing the crime, the perpetrators fled towards Raigad district before making their way north to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh 1500 kilometres away. Kanojia and Singh were held from UP in a targeted operation,” he added.
Purnekar, who served as the Uddhav Thackeray-led party’s ward chief in Manpada, was killed on September 29.
According to police, half a dozen rounds were fired during the attack on Purnekar, of which two hit the victim. Three empty shell casings and one live cartridge were recovered from the crime scene. The attackers also assaulted Purnekar with a chopper following the gunfire.
During the probe, one pistol was seized from Pawar, while Yadav’s mobile phone and the vehicle used for escaping after committing the crime were also impounded. PTI COR BNM
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