The Navi Mumbai crime branch on Tuesday arrested two men for allegedly killing a 45-year-old man by firing five rounds of bullets at him on the Mumbai-Goa Highway near Panvel last year.
Police said the incident took place on November 17 inside the Audi car of the deceased, identified as Pune resident Sanjay Karle.
The two accused, Mohsin Mulani and Ankit Kamble, allegedly killed Kale as he had taken money from them with the promise to provide gold biscuits in return. They fired at him after Karle did not fulfill his promise and pointed a gun at them, police added.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP), crime, Amit Kale said accused Mulani and the deceased both had criminal cases registered against them in the past. Karle had taken Rs 7 lakh from Mulani, promising gold biscuits at a cheap rate. “But after taking the money, Kale often ignored his calls and messages and claimed that he will hand him the gold in the next few days,” assistant police inspector Pravin Phadtare said.
Karle later convinced Mulani to part with another Rs 2 lakh, promising him more gold in return.
“Karle took the two accused to an isolated spot in his Audi. Like Mulani, Kamble too had paid money to Karle for gold biscuits. They got into an argument after Karle asked for more money without giving him the gold promised earlier. When Mulani reminded him of his promise, Karle pulled out his gun,” Kale said.
As per the accused, as soon as Kamble, who was sitting on the back seat, saw the gun, he pushed it away. But soon after, the duo took possession of the weapon, fired five rounds at Karle, left his body in the Audi and fled from the spot, Kale said.
As per Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vinayak Vats, the accused kept hiding in various parts of the country including Bengaluru, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Delhi and Gorakhpur. They also crossed into Nepal. “We had identified the accused and were on the lookout for them. On Monday, as they returned to Pune, we laid a trap for them and placed them under arrest,” Vats said.
The two accused were produced before the court on Tuesday and remanded to police custody.
