Sanpada firing: More than 100 public CCTV cameras failed to capture shooter's image

A screengrab of poor-quality CCTV footage of the alleged shooters

The police have revealed that the suspects involved in the recent shooting of Rajaram Thoke, a garbage contractor, at Sanpada in Navi Mumbai zoomed past 100 to 150 CCTV cameras during their escape. However, due to poor maintenance of the devices, the authorities haven't been able to obtain clear footage of the motorcycle or its riders, hampering the investigation.

According to police sources, one of the two bike-borne assailants has been identified as Santosh Gawli. The police suspect that Santosh Gawli, 40, a resident of Kopri Village in Vashi, previously worked as an outsourced contractor handling garbage disposal and collection for the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC).

A CCTV camera being blocked by a political poster. Representation Pic

"A couple of years ago, when Gawli's contract ended, he wanted to renew it with the APMC market. However, Thoke entered the competition," explained a police officer involved in the investigation. He continued, "It turned out that the victim won the contract, which upset Gawli as it was his primary source of income. With no other work available, Gawli later started driving autorickshaws to make ends meet."

As per the police investigation, Gawli harboured a grudge against Thoke for taking over the contract that was once his primary source of income. Two months ago, Gawli began planning his revenge. "We suspect that over the past two months, Gawli, along with the unidentified shooter, tailed Thoke daily, keeping track of his routine. The shooter arranged for a bike and a pistol, and their plan was to corner Thoke and shoot him while he was alone," said a police officer involved in the case.

The investigation revealed that the duo followed Thoke daily for two months, tracking his commute from his residence in Ghatkopar to his work locations in Navi Mumbai. On the day of the firing, Gawli and the shooter tailed Thoke from Ghatkopar to Sanpada. When Thoke was alone in his car, the shooter fired five rounds, four of which struck him in the abdomen, legs and hands.

Throughout the investigation, not one CCTV camera captured Gawli or the shooter's face or the bike's registration number or number plate. "Based on Gawli's attire and informants, we figured out he was involved as no CCTV camera could capture any details that could have helped us identify them or even provide basic clues about them," the police officer said.

Police got their confirmation about Gawli being the suspect when they visited the latter's house in Kopri Gaon and met his wife, mother and children. He had contacted the family once to inform them that he was safe and not to look for him or contact the police. After the firing at Sanpada, the two accused fled to Panvel, where Gawli's digital trail ended, according to police records. The police have yet to recover the bike used in the crime and the weapon, identified as a locally made pistol. The search for Gawli is ongoing.