Three held for killing double murder witness

Avinash Bali, the key witness in the 2011 murders of Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandez, was allegedly killed by his friend Nilesh Shukla over some personal dispute, the police said today as they announced arrests of three persons in the case.

A personal cum financial dispute between Bali (40) and Shukla (38), the prime accused in the case, seems to be the cause behind the crime, a senior police official said.

Bali's body, with injury marks on his head and private parts, was found lying in his shop in the MIDC area of suburban Andheri in the wee hours of August 20,

Shukla and another accused Vishwabahadur Singh (48) were arrested from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and the third accused, identified as Ankit Dubey (21), from Nalasopara in Maharashtra's Palghar district yesterday, he said.

 

The official said Bali had called Shukla to his shop where they along with Singh consumed alcohol on the night of the incident, he said.

However, an argument ensued between them, following which Shukla allegedly hit on Bali's head with a heavy object, leading to his death, he said.

He said the police suspected role of Shukla during probe.

"We received a tip-off that Shukla and Singh fled to Uttarakhand and then Uttar Pradesh after committing the crime. Based on specific information that the duo were hiding in a hotel in Lucknow, a team of the Mumbai Police went there and arrested them," the official said.

Their interrogation led police to Dubey who was arrested from Palghar late last night.

Dubey was working as a driver cum bodyguard of Shukla, he said, adding that his role in the crime is being investigated.

The official said Shukla was into the export-import business of pharmaceuticals and had been arrested in the past in a Narcotics case.

"Prima facie, a financial cum personal dispute between Shukla and Bali was the cause behind the incident," said DCP, Zone 10, Navinchandra Reddy.

He said the accused trio have been remanded in police custody till September 1.

Bali was a prime witness in the double murder of Santos (24) and Fernandez (29) in 2011.

The duo were attacked on October 20, 2011 while they were trying to save their female friends from eve-teasers outside a eatery in Amboli in suburban Mumbai.

Bali had completed his deposition in the case in 2014 and had supported the prosecution case till the end of the trial.

In 2016, Special Women's Court Judge Vrushali Joshi had sentenced all the five accused to jail for the remainder of their life, after finding them guilty for murder, outraging the modesty of a woman and other charges of the Indian Penal Code.