Kalyan court asks additional commissioner of police for Thane's East Region to appoint new investigating officer to replace ACP Anil Powar, who had concluded the gangster's death was accidental
Divisional Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Kalyan, Anil Powar
Kalyan court has directed the additional commissioner of Thane police for East Region to change the investigating officer (IO) in the case involving the alleged murder of gangster Naresh Pahalajani alias Naresh Chaddi. The order came days after the deceased's family appealed for the probe to be handed over to a new IO, accusing the current one of protecting the accused.
First Class Judicial Magistrate of Kalyan court IAS Qureshi on Monday directed additional CP Datta Karale to remove divisional Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Kalyan, Anil Powar from the case and appoint an officer of the same rank to lead the investigation.
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Chaddi was found dead in mysterious circumstances in his flat on February 2, 2016, and the Khadakpada police registered an accidental death report despite the family's allegation that he was murdered. Police finally filed a murder case against accused Congress corporator Godhumal Kishnani, his son Pravin Kishnani and Chaddi's caretaker Ravi Valecha on February 29, 2020.
ACP Powar, in his application, had told the court that he came to the conclusion that the 'FIR was registered due to misunderstanding of circumstances'. "There is no sabotage... but the deceased might have fallen on sofa and due to his body weight, he suffocated himself and in result died due to asphyxia but at that time there was no intoxicating substance [poison] in his body," Powar had concluded in the closure report.
Need further probe
Rejecting Powar's closure report, the magistrate observed, "In such a scenario, the conclusion drawn by the Investigating Officer... is not appealing to my mind."
"I am of the view that considering the nature of the offence along with evidence collected by the investigating officer, there is a need for further investigation. Officer in-charge of Khadakpada police station is directed to conduct further investigation... and the additional commissioner of police of Kalyan division is directed to change IO Anil Powar and appoint a new officer of the same rank for further investigation," the order read.
"I have not received any order from court till now," Powar told mid-day. Additional CP Karale did not respond to mid-day's calls and messages for comment.
Commenting on the developments, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said, "The cases need to be thoroughly investigated by an investigating officer and no muscleman can influence the police force in Maharashtra. And if any police officer is found shielding an accused, strict action will be taken against that officer." "I will take stock of the progress report in this case. And if the [investigating] officer [ACP Anil Powar] is found protecting the accused, he will have to face the legal consequences," he assured.
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