The main accused, in the Sanpada firing case has been arrested by Navi Mumbai Crime Branch on Saturday. The accused identified as Santosh Gawli (35), a former contractor of APMC garbage collection was arrested from Pune. According to police, the victim of the firing, who survived the attempt of assassination on him, Rajaram Thoke, had got the contract of garbage collection and disposal around two and half years back after the contract of Gawli expired. Gawli was angered about the same. He was also frustrated that the labourers at the APMC market, no more respected him the way they used and instead have been showing the same respect to Thoke.
Hence, Gawli hatched a plan to eliminate Thoke with the help of a sharp shooter identified as Imran Mulla Qureshi, a resident of Kalamboli. Qureshi, a former member of DK Rao Gang, was given the contract to shoot and is still absconding. The Navi Mumbai police and Crime branch are looking out for him.
On the morning of January 3, Thoke was sitting in his car near D mart clse to Juinagar railway station waiting for his two friends who were drinking tea at a stall when a two men on a bike came and the pillion rider shot five rounds at him of which three hit him at hand, shoulder and stomach. “Gawli was riding the bike and Qureshi was the shooter as per pour investigations. As of now, we do not think any other accused is involved in the case,” an investigating officer privy to the case, said.
Thoke, Gawli and Qureshi, all three has criminal records from the past, the police said.
