Crime branch solves murder of Cong leader

S Ahmed Ali I TNN
Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch on Tuesday claimed to have solved the murder of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar, who was shot dead along with his driver Samad Kazi at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on June 3, 2006. The crime branch on Monday handed over the two accused, Parasmal Tarachand Jain (47) and Dinesh Rammani Tiwari (37), to the CBI following the Bombay high court’s directives.

Joint commissioner of police (crime) Rakesh Maria said it was a supari (contract) killing and Rs 30 lakh had changed hands. A politician from Thane is believed to have given the contract to kill to Jain on behalf of the main conspirator. There are at least five more persons including one Abdul Rahman from Mumbra who hatched the plot. “We have given the CBI, which will conduct further investigation, all relevant details of the person who had given the contract. It will not be proper to disclose the names as it will jeopardise their investigations.’’

CBI officials said they would make an announcement in this case on Wednesday. Early this year, the HC had passed strictures on the Navi Mumbai police and transferred the murder case to the CBI after the police failed to make any progress over the past two years. Deceased Nimbalkar’s wife Anandibai had filed a petition seeking a CBI probe and alleged that former state minister Padmasinh Patil was behind the murder. There were also rumours that Vicky Malhotra of gangster Chhota Rajan faction was involved in the killing.

Though Jain and Tiwari were arrested in a robbery and arms case in February this year, the fresh development came to light only recently when Jain, during interrogations, confessed to have killed Nimbalkar.

According to him, on the fateful day, he lured Nimbalkar to Shilphata near Mumbra, promising to get him a plot to build a temple. When Nimbalkar arrived in his car, Jain and shooters, who were inside an Indica car, made him wait for nearly half an hour. As Nimbalkar left, Jain followed him. When they reached an isolated place, that falls under the Kalamboli jurisdiction, Jain overtook Nimbalkar’s car and shot him and his driver Kazi dead. They threw the two weapons near the crime scene and fled.

Jain told police that till 2003, he was a jeweller, but after a big loss he started tipping off robber gangs and soon had made a network with them. In 2006, he met Tiwari, a notorious criminal in a Mumbra club and befriended him. It was in this club that a Thane-based senior citizen brought the contract to Jain to eliminate Nimbalkar. “The middle man paid Rs 5 lakh as advance to Jain and Rs 25 lakh after the commission of the crime,’’ said additional commissioner Deven Bharti.

The police were tightlipped about who gave the contract money but sources said Tiwari, who is from Gorakhpur, managed to rope in two other shooters.

ARMS LICENCE DOUBT
The Mumbai police is baffled by the fact that Parasmal Jain, who has around four cases of robbery registered against him, managed to obtain an arms licence. The record shows that the licence was issued to him in 2003 by the Thane police commissioner. The CBI will probe the case.