Rajendra Shinde questioned for nine hours in Thane Pradeep Purnekar murder case; Raut issues warning

Politics has heated up over the murder of Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) vibhag pramukh Pradeep Purnekar in Thane. The Thane crime branch questioned Rajendra Shinde for about nine hours. Rajendra Shinde is the husband of former mayor and Shinde faction leader Meenakshi Shinde. After the questioning, MP Sanjay Raut reacted with a veiled warning.

After the murder, the Purnekar family made serious allegations against Meenakshi Shinde and Rajendra Shinde. The family alleged directly that the two also had a hand in the killing. This is why the crime branch summoned Rajendra Shinde for questioning.

Crime branch officers had called Rajendra Shinde on Tuesday. During this, he was questioned face to face with the accused who are in custody in the Pradeep Purnekar murder case.

According to information, Rajendra Shinde told the police that he knows all five accused. As per his statement, the accused used to come to him asking for work. He said his wife is the senior corporator of that area, so he kept meeting these people. He also made it clear that he has no connection with Purnekar's murder.

Sanjay Raut reacted sharply to this statement. Taking a dig, he said, "Rajendra Shinde says the accused used to come asking for work. So what work was given to them, we are seeing."

Raut also said, "We are keeping a close watch on the police investigation. After the investigation is complete, if the main accused is given protection, we will bring out our weapon." He was speaking at a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday (October 14).

Pradeep Purnekar was murdered on September 29 at around 9.30 pm in his office in the Manorama Nagar area of Thane. Five attackers entered the office, fired at him and attacked him with a sickle.

Purnekar's brother Jayanath Purnekar and son Ram Purnekar subsequently made allegations against Meenakshi Shinde and Rajendra Shinde. Ram Purnekar alleged that during Ganpati immersion, Rajendra Shinde and the killers were seen outside Neelkanth building and the conspiracy to kill was hatched there. These are only allegations and need to be investigated separately.

Rajendra Shinde has been released after nine hours of questioning. He may be summoned again. Meenakshi Shinde is also likely to be questioned.