Police suspect underworld link in builder Sunil Lahoria's murder

MUMBAI: The city crime branch probing Navi Mumbai builder Sunil Lahoria's murder now suspects the underworld's involvement. The police said they have stumbled upon clues leading them to a Chhota Rajan gang member, who was close to builder Suresh Bijlani, prime suspect in the case.
Venkatesh Shettiar, arrested by the public, told police during interrogation that the conspiracy to kill Lahoria was held at former encounter specialist Emmanuel Amolik's office in Vashi a week before.Shettiar said he did a recce of Lahoria's office twice at Sector 28, five days prior to the killing.
"Lahoria came to office, as was his routine, between 9.30 am and 10 am, and based on this, Amolik suggested that Shettiar get a security guard's uniform to avoid suspicion. We are interrogating Shettiar to know how much money exchanged hands to kill Lahoria,'' an officer said. Amolik had arrested Shettiar in 2006 in connection with a shootout in Panvel in 2002. Since then, Amolik and Shettiar got close.
Reports stated that in 2012 Lahoria had filed an application for protection with the Navi Mumbai police, but it was rejected. Amolik has been repeatedly telling the cops that he killed Lahoria over a parking row. The police said that even if he does not open up, they have evidence to prove the involvement of builder Suresh Bijlani, architect Anurag Garg and four others.
Technical evidence suggests that Amolik was 200 metres from the scene of crime, and immediately after that he went to Bijlani's office, where he got a call from an officer of the rank of ACP, who told him that they had caught a criminal who was taking his name. Initially, Amolik pleaded ignorance, but after some time he called back the ACP and inquired about the accused.
What has baffled the Mumbai police is that immediately after Lahoria's murder on February 16, Bijlani and Garg regularly visited Vashi police station, but since they heard of the case being transferred to Mumbai, they went underground and sought anticipatory bail.
'Lahoria named suspects'
Builder Sunil Kumar Lahoria spoke for nearly 90 minutes after he was shot at and stabbed, naming persons who could be behind the attack, his family members said on Monday.
The slain builder's son, Sandeep Kumar alias Sunny, told TOI, "Despite being shot five times and stabbed on his neck, my father took the names of people behind this, including suspect Suresh Bijlani, whose anticipatory bail was cancelled by the Bombay high court on Monday."
Sunny added that a profusely bleeding Lahoria also told the auto-rickshaw driver taking him to Fortis hospital in Vashi that he suspected certain people. "The auto driver consoled him and told him to take the name of Lord Bajrangbali (Hanuman), as it was a Saturday when devotees pray to him. My father was very strong, as despite his condition, he tried to pacify me at the hospital. He also called up home to talk to other family members."
"The police must catch all who conspired," said Sunny. He stated that sources had told him that Bijlani was hiding in Mumbai.
Lahoria's younger brother, Sanjeev Kumar, said the attack with a chopper by the second assailant (Wajid Kureshi) lead to profuse blood loss. --Vijay Singh & Rahul Khilnani