Thane Police form SIT under DCP Amarsingh Jadhav to probe killing of Sena (UBT) leader Pradip Purnekar

The brutal murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) division chief Pradip alias "Bala" Purnekar has shaken Thane city and the whole of Maharashtra. Given the gravity of the case, Thane Police have stepped up the investigation.

For a thorough and impartial probe, a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed under Amarsingh Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Crime Branch. The team reached the spot on the evening of Thursday, October 1, and began collecting evidence.

To speed up the investigation, 23 experienced officers have been placed on the team. They include 2 assistant commissioners of police, 3 senior police inspectors, 6 assistant police inspectors, 3 sub-inspectors and police personnel. Five teams in all are at work.

At around 4.30 pm on Thursday, the SIT's main team reached the scene with a forensic team. It examined the entire area closely and took custody of key technical clues and digital evidence.

After inspecting the scene, a special team of the SIT went straight to the Samata Nagar area and carried out a search. Police seized two motorcycles belonging to the suspected accused.

According to a preliminary assessment, after the murder the accused left their two-wheelers in Samata Nagar and fled in a four-wheeler arranged in advance. The accused may have fled outside Thane or outside the state, so the SIT has widened the scope of its investigation. According to sources, the team will travel to other states if required.

For now, police are tracing the suspects using all CCTV footage from the area, call detail records (CDR) and technical analysis. Some important clues have been found at the scene, and the accused are being pursued with the help of the seized vehicles.

DCP Amarsingh Jadhav said the direction of the investigation is clear and that the mastermind behind the murder and the main accused will soon be in police hands.