7 more to be charge sheeted in PMC case, mounted cops to return

Here are a few Mumbai-based crime cases that are expected to progress in 2020.

Trial in Virar murder may begin this year

THE trial in the murder of 58-year-old Ganesh Koladkar, whose body was hacked into pieces and flushed down the toilet of a Virar flat, is expected to begin in the first quarter of this year at a Vasai court. But the Arnala coastal police, probing the gruesome murder of the Mira Road resident, is yet to get the DNA report from the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratory (DFSL) in Kalina. "A year has passed but the police have not got the DNA report in the case. The report is scientific evidence which will play a vital role in the case. We are wondering how the investigating team will use it to convict Pintoo Sharma," said Ashutosh Gokhale, the brother-in-law of the deceased. Koladkar was allegedly killed in January 2019 by Sharma, who is a stock broker. Sharma then allegedly hacked Koladkar's body into multiple pieces, and threw the bones in the Bhayandar creek.

Depositors of the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank (PMC) protest outside the RBI. File pic

Seven more to be charge-sheeted in PMC Bank case

THE Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police is expected to file a supplementary charge sheet this year against the remaining seven accused in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank scam. The accused, who will be charge-sheeted in one of the biggest banking fraud cases in the country, include: Jayesh Sanghani, statutory auditor PMC Bank; Kentan Lakdawala, statutory auditor PMC Bank; Anita Kirdat, concurrent auditor PMC Bank; Rajneet Singh (Son of former BJP MLA) PMC Bank director; Jagdish Mookhey, PMC Bank Director; Mukti Bavisi, PMC Bank director and Trupti Bane, PMC Bank director. The supplementary charge sheet will also include the most awaited forensic audit report of HDIL, which will reveal the diversion of funds by the company and its promoters Rakesh and Sarang Wadhawan. So far the agency has only PMC Bank's forensic audit report, which confirms the huge loan given to HDIL and also suggests how some of the directors who have received kickbacks, have deposited the amounts in PMC Bank through their relatives. The estimated worth of the fraud is R6,700-crore.

Mounted police patrol Marina beach, Chennai

Mounted police return to Mumbai roads this year

THE Mumbai Police will have a mounted police squad this year. They are expected to make their first appearance during the Republic Day parade this year. The idea was initiated by Subodh Jaiswal, when he was the Mumbai police commissioner in 2018. Soon after Mumbai; Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad will also have mounted police squads. The mounted police concept was practised in Mumbai during the British era but was disbanded in the 1930s. Cops mounted on horses were more effective in policing in case of crowds, or patrolling at tourist places, especially beaches. "Mounted cops are still in practice in various parts of our country. The Mumbai police stopped it in British era itself. So we are now re-introducing it," said Subodh Jaiswal, director general of police, Six horses have been purchased from the Mahalaxmi Racecourse at a cost of R50,000 each for the same. Cops are planning to have a platoon of 30 trained horses in the Mumbai police force.

Bennet Rebello

Charge sheet in Bennet Rebello case by March

The Mumbai crime branch, who have solved the complex murder case of musician Bennett Rebello, will request the court to 'treat both the minor teens as adults' as the case falls under the 'rarest of the rare' category. Both teens, at present, have been sent to a correctional home in Dongri for their alleged hand in Rebello's death. The third accused, Ali Miya Chaus, is an adult who is a friend of the minor boy. The musician was killed and his body chopped into eight pieces with the help of choppers that were heated on the kitchen stove at his residence in Vakola. His killers spent three days dismembering and disposing of the body parts. The minor girl told her investigators that she killed Rebello as he had been sexually abusing her. At present, Crime Branch sleuths are preparing the charge sheet to submit before the court by or before the first week of March 2020. The investigating team is likely to get the DNA reports this month on the body parts found.

Siddhesh (in black T-shirt) with Khushi (next to him) and Kirti (in black jacket)

Trial in Kirti Vyas case to begin this year

The single drop of blood found by the forensics department inside the car will help cops nail the killers of 28-year-old Kirti Vyas. Kirti, a finance manager with a salon, disappeared on March 16, 2018. Her body is yet to be found. Despite this, the cops are confident of getting a conviction in the case. Trial in the case will begin this year. Kirti went missing after setting out to work from her Grant Road home. After registering a missing case at DB Marg police station, the case was transferred to Crime Branch Unit 2 which eventually arrested Siddhesh Tamhankar, 28, and Khushi Sahjwani, 42, for allegedly killing Kirti on the way to work inside an SUV and dumping her body near Wadala's Imax theatre. The reason for the murder as claimed by police was Kirti's strict demeanour. She had pulled up Siddhesh for his shoddy work in office. In the absence of a body, crime branch is relying on circumstantial evidence, DNA reports and CCTV footage of Vyas being picked up by the accused in Sahjwani's SUV on March 16. Cops also have statements of 50 people including Vyas's family, friends and colleagues who saw her getting into the car with the accused.

By Anurag Kamble, Faizan Khan, Diwakar Sharma, Samiullah Khan and Shirish Vaktania

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