KURAR FIRING: COPS SAY UDAY PATHAK GANG MAY BE INVOLVED

MUMBAI: A day after an unidentified man shot at an autorickshaw driver in Kurar village, crime branch officials investigating the case said the Uday Pathak gang could be involved.

Uday Pathak is the main accused in the 2011 quadruple Kurar murders and has 16 offences, including murder, extortion and attempt to murder, filed against him in Dindoshi and Kurar.

Investigators said the assailant may have fired at the wrong person, as he first fired a round, asked about an extortion amount of Rs15 lakh, but fled soon after. It was during this that he dropped an envelope with two letters signed off with the gang’s name, leading officials to suspect the gang’s involvement.

There were two letters inside the envelope, one talking about the extortion money and the other mentioning the names of Popat Ghanwat, an RPI member, Amit Raorane, an estate agent, Anand Singh, a pharmacy owner, and one Guddu. The letter said these people were now in danger, said officials.

On Friday, around 9.15pm, the accused arrived at the spot with his face covered. He fired a round that hit autorickshaw driver Karkeshwar Singh. Singh was standing at an under-construction site, talking to his brother, a site contractor. Singh was hit in the stomach and is being treated.

“Singh’s statement will give us clarity on whether he knew the attacker. We are yet to retrieve the weapon,” said Dhananjay Kulkarni, deputy commissioner.