The final arguments in the sensational murder case of slain cop Ahwini Bidre got over last week after six long years of trial, with around submission of around 23 pages of final argument being submitted by special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat. The verdict for the accused in the case – dismissed senior police inspector Abhay Kurundkar, Raju Patil, Kundan Bhandari, and Mahesh Phalanikar – is expected soon.
“We have submitted strong arguments and evidences in the case. There are many circumstantial evidences against the main accused Abhay Kurundkar. In criminal cases, hypothesis of guilt should be established and the circumstances is inconsistence with innocence,” Advocate Gharat said.
Posted with Protection of Civil Rights Unit in Konkan Bhavan, Belapur, Bidre, a resident of Roadpali in Kalamboli, was missing since 15 April 2016 and a missing case was registered on 14 July 2016.
The trial, which became famous for tarnishing the reputation of the Maharashtra Police, began on November 30, 2018, at the Alibag District Court. Later, the proceedings started at the newly formed Panvel session court, the case was transferred there. Over the six-year trial, around 85 witnesses were examined by the court. After this process, both the prosecution, led by Pradeep Ghart, and the defense, represented by advocate Vishal Bhanushali and Prasad Patil, presented their arguments.
The first accused Kurundkar and slain cop Assistant Police Inspector Ashwini Bidre were reportedly in a relationship. On the night of April 11, 2016, Kurundkar allegedly murdered Ashwini in Mira Road. He then allegedly dismembered her body using a wood-cutting machine and stored the pieces in a freezer. The next day, the body parts were placed in a sack and dumped into the Vasai creek. After Ashwini went missing, a missing person complaint was filed at the Kalamboli Police Station on July 14, 2017. When it was revealed that Kurundkar was involved in her disappearance, a kidnapping case was filed on January 31, 2017.
Police initially allegedly supported the accused Kurundkar causing Ashwini’s relatives to face a prolonged struggle. The investigation was eventually taken over by Assistant Police Commissioner Sangeeta Alphonso, known as ‘Lady Singham’ in Navi Mumbai who rebuilt the crime scene with the help of the circumstantial and technical evidence. On December 7, 2017, Kurundkar was arrested for the murder. Following this, the second accused, Raju Patil, was arrested by the police followed by Kundan Bhandari and Kurundkar’s childhood friend Mahesh Falnikar.
The main accused police inspector Abhay Kurundkar had made incorrect records of his duty on the day of murder by mentioning different timings of his patrolling duty, wrong readings of his vehicle, in order to hide his crime, said Adv Gharat. After the murder, Kurundkar had used victim Bidre’s phone to send messages to her relative and her department saying that she was going for a meditation camp to North India.
According to the prosecution, five days before the murder, Kurundkar had asked one of the constables to purchase wood cutting power saw which was allegedly used to dismember the body which was dumped into Vasai creek by attaching weights of 25 kg metal blocks. The shop from where these weights were purchased were also identified.
The Call Detail Record (CDR) of Patil and that of the Kurundkar along with that of Bidre was at the same place on April 11, 2016, the day when she was last seen. The location all three was near Vasai creek at Bhayander on April 11, 2016 and after that Bidre went missing. On April 14, her phone had switched on for a brief time and after that it was never switched.
“While Kurundkar is charged for the murder and conspiracy, other accused are charged for conspiracy and destruction of evidence. Even after continuous efforts made to search for the body of Bidre in Vasai creek for two years, it was not found,” Adv Gharat added.
Bidre’s husband Raju Gore said, “Many reports from truth lab in Mumbai has helped the case. It has found that Kurundkar was the one who sent the messages from Bidre’s phone about she going for meditation as he uses ‘Y’ instead of ‘U’ while tying messages.”
Bidre’s family had been fighting for answers on what happened to Bidre since last eight years now. Bidre’s daughter who was in class II when her mother went missing, is now in class X and the family is waiting for the verdict from Panvel sessions court.
