In connection with the case of two unknown assailants who opened fire outside the bungalow of builder Vishwanath Panvelkar, the main accused, Jitendra Pawar, alias Tiger (27), was arrested in Lonavala on Wednesday. He had allegedly challenged the Thane police by sending a message on a social media platform, stating that he would reward ₹1 lakh to anyone who caught him.
However, a 21-year-old rider was arrested from Navi Mumbai on April 22. The accused has been identified as Khalid Sajid Sayyed (22), a resident of B Cabin Road in Ambernath, and an auto-rickshaw driver by profession. He was riding the motorcycle while the shooter, Tiger, was the pillion rider.
DCP Sachin Gore of the Ulhasnagar Division stated, “We formed six teams, including two from the crime branch. We arrested the rider, Khalid, on April 22, the day after the incident. Upon further investigation, he revealed the shooter’s name. We received a message from the main accused’s Facebook account mentioning a ₹1 lakh reward for anyone who could catch him.”
The police added that they had his mobile number under surveillance, but it was switched off. Based on technical intelligence, he was arrested in Lonavala and brought to the city. During interrogation, he revealed that he used a hotspot to send messages.
The investigating officer stated that the motive behind the firing was solely to gain notoriety by creating terror in the city. Viral CCTV footage on social media shows two assailants arriving on a bike in front of the house. One of the assailants briefly dismounted the motorcycle, got back on, took out a revolver, and fired two rounds. Meanwhile, two women, who had alighted from an auto-rickshaw, stood behind the motorcycle, appearing frightened.
The police recovered two bullets from the scene. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police confirmed that Panvelkar resides on the first floor and has an office on the ground floor.
