Sena (UBT) leader Vinod Ghosalkar: ‘My son thoroughly verified rape claim before seeking FIR against Mauris’

Vinod Ghosalkar consoles his daughter-in-law Tejasvee prior to the cremation of his son Abhishek, at the family’s residence at Daulat Nagar, Borivli East, on February 9. Pic/Satej Shinde

My son, Abhishek, was a hero who helped many people and always stood for the betterment of society. Mauris Noronha, on the other hand, was a monster who, by killing my son, destroyed both his family and mine," former MLA Vinod Ghosalkar told mid-day. A month after the shootout at IC Colony in Borivali, the Ghosalkar family said Noronha had gunned down the former corporator because he mistakenly believed that Abhishek had influenced a woman to register a rape case against him at MHB Colony police station.

The incident occurred on February 8 when Ghosalkar and Noronha were addressing viewers on a Facebook Live session. After killing Abhishek Ghosalkar, Noronha died by suicide. However, the crime branch has suspicions about the second death.

Woman's complaint

Vinod Ghosalkar said, "I was an MLA and my son was a corporator. We were working together for the betterment of society. Every day, we held a darbar in our office at IC Colony, where many people would visit and share their problems. We would verify their problems thoroughly and help them accordingly."

"At one of these darbars, a woman approached us with a complaint letter about Noronha. In the complaint, she alleged that he had raped her and also failed to return around Rs 70 lakh, which he had borrowed from her. My son handled this case. He checked her bank account and statements and also met with the police officer who received the complaint, requesting that an FIR be registered if they found genuine evidence," Vinod Ghosalkar said.

Mauris Noronha and Abhishek Ghosalkar minutes before the shooting

"After Abhishek did his part to help the woman, officers at MHB Colony police station investigated the matter and based on the evidence, they registered an FIR against Mauris. He thought Abhishek pressured the police into registering the FIR, but in reality, my son was seeking justice for the woman. The police registered the FIR based on the evidence and not just my son's words. Mauris misunderstood the situation and sought revenge against us. He also abused my daughter-in-law Tejasvee and Abhishek. He made many hateful speeches on social media to tarnish my family's name," Vinod Ghosalkar said.

‘He owed people money'

"Meanwhile, the police received many complaints against Mauris for taking money from many people for his personal use. Mauris's source of income was a casino, and he had earned some money before COVID in a Gulf country. Later, he came to Mumbai, started putting up banners in the area and helped people by providing food, groceries and other essentials. Mauris noticed that Abhishek was helping locals and started copying him," Vinod Ghosalkar alleged.

The former legislator also claimed that Noronha wanted to run for elections and started requesting many politicians to let him contest a seat in the area. "A couple of days before the incident, someone visited my home and told me that Noronha held a free saree distribution event at his office and invited my son to join him in the interest of the society. My son told me about this, and I advised him not to believe Mauris's words, as he was a monster. On February 8, my son was murdered over a misunderstanding. Mauris believed that the police registered the FIR because of my son's influence; but in reality, it was the result of their investigation," Vinod Ghosalkar said.

The former MLA said that Noronha believed that his career and marital life had been ruined because of the FIR. "Mauris not only destroyed my family but also his own by killing my son and dying by suicide. After the FIR was registered, he was arrested and jailed for three months. He was arrested because of the crime he committed. The police also found bank statements of the woman," he said, adding that his family was still in mourning.

Feb 9
Day Ghosalkar's last rites were held