Khar murder: Cops call the accused a violent person; has assault cases

The Bhagwati Heights building where the 19-year-old student was killed. File pic

Shree Jogdhankar, co-accused in the murder of a 19-year-old student during a New Year's party is a violent person with a criminal past, the Khar police told a court on Thursday as they sought to keep him in their custody for 14 days. The police said Shree had earlier assaulted a paanwala and had allegedly also hit a taxi driver. They said the other co-accused Diya Padalkar, 19, is cooperating with them. The police told the court that earlier they could not get sufficient time to question Shree because he was hospitalised for injuries sustained on the night of the murder.

Shree Jogdhankar

Unlike the other co-accused, they said Shree continues to remain evasive. "We need more custody of the accused Shree Jogdhankar to interrogate him. As Shree was hospitalised for 6 days after the arrest, only seven days' custody is not sufficient," submitted Senior Inspector Gajanan Kabdule to the court. Kabdule told mid-day, "Jogdhankar has two different criminal records of assault. He assaulted a paan shop vendor last year, and the case was registered at Vakola police station. He had beaten up a taxi driver but it was not reported to police. When four of his friends intervened, he beat them all up too. Our investigation is almost done and we have sufficient evidence against both the accused.

Calling Shree innocent, his lawyer Mahesh Vaswami said the police do not have any eyewitnesses. He said about 14 people were present including the victim, Shree and Diya, at the party but nobody saw the incident. "This is a murder mystery and the police still don't have any evidence to prove that my clients killed the deceased. At this party, drug was supplied to the participants on that day, and like in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, the party member /witnesses in this case are under fear as well that they may get hauled up for questioning."

He added, "So if the friends have said that accused Shree Jogdhankar had assaulted any taxi driver and 4 persons as well as he submitted, the alleged incident is 2 years or so old. So partygoers are under fear and such mere statements are of no value in Evidence Act." The lawyer said the court allowed Shree to be treated for swelling near the elbow and also accepted his request for books in jail for his hotel management course. Kabdule said the killing took place on the staircase and nobody other than the victim and the accused were present there. "We are collecting more evidence."

14
No. of days of judicial custody granted by court