Govind Pansare murder case: Three more suspects arrested by SIT team

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The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the murder case of veteran CPI leader Govind Pansare arrested three more suspects on Friday. The police team arrested Sachin Andhure from Pune's Yerwada jail and the other two suspects Amit Baddi and Ganesh Miskin were picked up from Mumbai's Arthur Road jail. Andhure is also a key suspect in Dr Narendra Dabholkar murder case. The police have arrested 12 people in the case so far.

A senior officer investigating the Pansare murder case told Mid-Day on condition of anonymity, "Andhure is also involved in Dr Dabholkar murder case. The three are connected to right-wing outfit ideology. Andhure was lodged in Pune's Yerawada central prison while Baddi and Miskin were at Aurthur Road jail in Mumbai. Based on some clues that have come up during the investigation, we needed their custody to get some vital information." The three arrested suspects will be produced in Kolhapur court on Friday.

The SIT is also on the lookout for Vinay Baburao Pawar (40) and Sarang Deelip Akolkar alias Kulkarni (38) who are on the run. The duo is also wanted in connection with the murder of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar as well as their connection with the right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha. Akolkar hails from Pune and is an electronics engineer.

Communist Party of India (CPI) senior leader comrade Govind Pansare (83) was shot at in February 2016 when he was coming back home with his wife Uma (75) from their morning walk in Sagar Mahal in Kolhapur. Two motorcycle-borne assailants had fired five rounds at Pansare and escaped. Pansare was airlifted to a Mumbai based hospital where he succumbed after four days while undergoing treatment.

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