Loharia murder case: Brother of prime accused held in MP

Brother of the prime suspect in Sunil Loharia murder case, who had been evading arrest for over one-and-a-half years, was today arrested from Madhya Pradesh, police said.
With this, the total number of arrests in the case have gone up to 13, they said.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of Mumbai Police crime branch found out the Madhya Pradesh hideout of wanted accused Mahesh Bijlani, younger brother of arrested builder and prime accused Suresh Bijlani, and apprehended him this morning, police said.
"Mahesh Bijlani was taken into custody from a flat in Lake View Enclave Apartment in Bhopal on the basis of human intelligence," Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Sadanand Date said.

Real estate developer Sunil Loharia had been shot dead on February 16, 2013 outside his Navi Mumbai office. Home Department has transferred the case from Navi Mumbai Police to Mumbai Crime Branch following allegation of bias in the investigation.
Among those arrested include shooters Venkatesh Shettiar, Wajid Qureshi, realty developers Suresh Bijlani, Sumit Bacchewar, and retired 'encounter specialist' Emmanuel Amolik.

Business rivalry is suspected to have led to the broad daylight murder, which was caught on CCTV camera.
In May last year, the Crime Branch filed a 1,800-page charge sheet in the Sessions Court here.
Recently, the Bombay high court directed the crime branch to look into "new incriminating material" produced by Loharia's son Sandeep through a petition against former Navi Mumbai police chief Ashok Sharma in connection with the murder case.

The petitioner's counsel has submitted call data records and some photographs in support of his allegations that Sharma had maintained contact with the accused.