Thane, Oct 8 Police were probing how two key accused arrested for the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary Pradeep Purnekar in Thane city last month acquired a costly firearm used in the crime, while a court on Thursday extended their police custody till October 13, officials said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) division chief (Vibhag Pramukh) from Manpada was shot dead on September 29 night.
Investigating authorities have recovered the pistol used in the crime and secured further police custody of the two key suspects till October 13 to trace the procurement chain and identify the mastermind behind the murder.
The court granted a five-day extension of police custody for the key accused, Nikhil Yadav and Nitesh Pawar, following a submission by the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC).
Yadav and Pawar were nabbed on October 2, while a third accused in the case, Prakash alias Papya Shinde, was arrested earlier.
Senior Inspector Shailesh Salvi (AEC) informed the court that the investigation has uncovered critical details, but the two key accused were not fully cooperating despite having information about absconding accomplices.
According to police, half a dozen rounds were fired during the attack on Purnekar, of which two hit the victim. Three empty shell casings and one live cartridge were recovered from the crime scene. The attackers also assaulted Purnekar with a chopper following the gunfire.
During the probe, one pistol was seized from Pawar, while Yadav's mobile phone and the vehicle used for escaping after committing the crime were also impounded, Salvi stated.
"As the key accused belong to economically weaker families, the investigation is actively focused on determining who supplied them with such an expensive firearm, where they practiced target shooting prior to the attack, and who was the main conspirator behind the killing," the Inspector said.
Police are scrutinizing bank account transactions of the accused persons to trace financial trails.
