Firing at RTI activist: Stolen motorcycle used by shooter found

MUMBAI: The crime branch unit-1 recovered the motorcycle used in the Airoli firing in which RTI activist Amit Maurya, 40, sustained a bullet injury near his neck on Monday night. The bike was found on the roadside in Mumbra, reports George Mendonca.

On Monday, at around 11.45 pm, Maurya and his friend Sandeep Gavas, 44, were standing near the parked MUV of Gavas when a biker wearing a helmet approached them and, brandishing a pistol, fired in their direction. As they dodged, two bullets hit the MUV’s windscreen. Maurya and Gavas ran when the assailant fired two more rounds. One bullet pierced Maurya’s neck near the left ear, while the other bullet fired at Gavas hit a wall on the roadside.

A police source said, “The CCTV camera footage was scanned, and the shooter riding the bike was tracked. As he was wearing a helmet, he could not be identified. However, the bike’s registration number was caught on CCTV. It was found abandoned in Mumbra in the wee hours of Wednesday. From the bike’s registration number, the owner’s details were obtained from the RTO. It was learnt that the bike was stolen from Sanpada.”

Maurya underwent an operation at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, and the bullet lodged near his neck was removed. Police said his condition was stable and he was shifted from the ICU to the general ward. A police officer privy to the case, said, “As of now, it cannot be confirmed if it was a contract killing. Only after the shooter is arrested will the motive behind the murder attempt be clear.”