Mumbai: ‘Byculla murder accused have ties to political party,' say cops

NCP leader Sachin Kurmi was killed on Saturday

The murder of Sachin Kurmi, a leader of the National Congress Party's (NCP) Ajit Pawar faction, has ignited a political debate with police suspecting that the accused may have close ties to a political leader in the ruling government.

On Sunday, the police had reasoned "personal enmity" as the motive behind the murder. However, a recent interrogation suggests that the arrested accused and two others, who are still absconding, have close ties to a leader of the ruling party.

Kurmi, 43, an NCP leader from Byculla, was brutally stabbed to death with a sharp weapon early Saturday, in which three individuals - Ananda Kale alias Anya, Vijay Kakade alias Papaya and Prafulla Pravin Patkar - were arrested by the police on Sunday.

The accused were reportedly frustrated with Kurmi's numerous Right to Information (RTI) queries and believed that they had been wrongfully implicated in cases due to his influence.

Sources suggest that there have been multiple prior cases of attempts to murder and assault on Kurmi. Sources have also said that the accused were also allegedly involved in extortion with builders in the area, and they did not like Kurmi's interference in
the matter.

While the three are currently under police custody following a court's order, two more absconding suspects are under investigation.

Officials suspect that the mastermind behind the case is someone else, believed to be undergoing treatment at a Pune hospital, where he was admitted four days before the murder. The suspect, identified as Vijay Kulkarni, is believed to have connections with a leader of the ruling party.

Officials are now probing the role of Kulkarni believing he may have orchestrated the killing.

"We are questioning more individuals, as we suspect others may also be involved," said an investigating officer.

Anya, the main accused, reportedly has 10 cases against him between 2010 and 2024, most of them for attempted murder. His associates, Patkar and Papaya, also have criminal records.

"The main accused believed a recent case filed against him at the Dharavi police station was due to Kurmi's influence, which reignited their feud and led to his brutal murder. Kurmi was stabbed multiple times, and his skull was severely damaged," the officer added.