Pune June 13 : In a major development in Sidhu Moosewala murder case, Pune Rural Police arrested sharpshooter Santosh Jadhav, a suspect in the case from Gujarat in the wee hours on Monday.
Besides arresting Jadhav, Pune Rural police have also apprehended his aide Mahakal in the case, police said. A Pune connection has been established in the murder of Sidhu Moosewala, whose murder has caused a stir across the country.
The Punjab police had launched a major manhunt to find Jadhav and Mahakal. Information regarding them had been circulated to all STs, railway stations and airports with their photographs to prevent them from fleeing the country, said a top official from Pune Rural police.
Police have also arrested some youths for questioning on suspicion of being in touch with Jadhav.
Additional Director General (Law and Order) Kulwant Kuma Sarangal is scheduled to address the media here this afternoon to give more details about Jadhav’s arrest, police said.
Jadhav who is a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang already had a case of murder registered against him by the Pune Manchar police station in 2021. He had been on the run for almost over year, official told UNI.
Siddhesh Kamble alias Mahakal had already been arrested last week by the police in connection with the Moosewala murder case under MCOCA.
Moosewala was shot dead on May 29 in Jawaharke village in Mansa district of Punjab. The Union Home Ministry took serious note of the incident and directed the Punjab Police to investigate the matter thoroughly to catch the culprits behind this crime as quickly as possible.
Accordingly, a special police team was formed to investigate the matter. Preliminary investigations revealed that Moosewala was killed by Delhi-based gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to avenge the murder of a colleague.
Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, confessed to the murder after he was interrogated by the police. He also said that three people from Punjab, three from Rajasthan and two from Pune were also involved in the conspiracy.
Following these inputs, several teams of Pune Rural police were sent to Gujarat and Rajasthan to nab Jadhav, said an another official.
