Thane: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary Pradeep Purnekar has recovered a chopper allegedly discarded by the accused while fleeing and is now searching for their clothes worn on the night of the crime for forensic evidence, officials said.The recovery comes as the two arrested accused, Santosh Kanojiya and Amit Singh, were remanded to magisterial custody and sent to Taloja jail after their 13-day police custody ended. The court rejected the police plea for an extension to trace the clothes, said Sameer Hatle, counsel for the Purnekar family.“The chopper was recovered from dense undergrowth at Dahisar Mori, where the accused allegedly discarded it while escaping,” said Amar Sinh Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) and SIT chief. Police have so far recovered three choppers and two firearms allegedly used in the attack.“We are trying to recover the clothes worn by the accused on the night of the crime to check for bloodstains that may have splashed during the assault. Any suspected stains will be sent for forensic examination to establish whether they belong to the victim. We are also examining some videos shared by the family and the social media accounts of the deceased,” a senior official said.Officials said the SIT is also likely to question locals who claim to have seen some of the accused loitering in the area weeks before the killing.Meanwhile, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshwardhan Sapkal, who visited the bereaved family Saturday, demanded a fresh SIT headed by an IPS officer from outside Thane and a probe under High Court supervision.Sapkal alleged that the investigation had made little progress despite the family submitting evidence and naming suspected masterminds. He also questioned whether Purnekar’s reported fears for his life before the attack had been adequately investigated, assuring the family of the Congress’s support in its fight for justice.
