HOW ENCOUNTER HAPPENED
A 23-year-old janitor, arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two four-year-old girls at a Badlapur school (Thane district), was shot dead in an encounter on Monday after he allegedly snatched a police officer’s weapon and opened fire, police said.
According to the police, the accused grabbed Assistant Police Inspector (API) Nilesh More’s service pistol while being transported in custody, firing three rounds in an attempt to escape. The incident took place near the Mumbra Bypass, resulting in injuries to API More and two other police personnel.
The accused, who had been lodged in Taloja Central Jail since his arrest in August for the alleged assault, was being escorted to Thane for further investigation into a separate sexual assault case filed by his former wife in 2021. According to a senior police officer, the crime branch’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) was handling the case. The police reported that the shooting incident occurred between 6 pm and 6:15 pm.
API More sustained a bullet wound to his left thigh and was immediately taken to a hospital in Kalwa, along with the other injured officers. The accused, also injured in the exchange of gunfire, was declared dead at the same hospital. His body has been sent to Sir JJ Hospital for post-mortem.
OPPOSITION RESPONSE
Leader of the Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar has called for a judicial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting. He questioned whether the police action was an attempt to destroy evidence, especially as school trustees associated with the BJP remain at large. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar also expressed serious concerns about the Home Department’s handling of the accused’s transfer, stating that “the accused should have faced justice through legal channels.”
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde addressed the media, stating, “His former wife had filed a sexual assault case against him. The police were taking him for investigation in that regard, when (the accused)… opened fire on API Nilesh More, who has been injured. As per the preliminary information, the police fired in self-defence.”
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis echoed the statement, adding that the accused’s estranged wife had lodged a sexual assault complaint against him, prompting the investigation. He confirmed that the police retaliated after the accused fired at them while attempting to escape custody.
FAMILY’S CLAIMS
The family of the accused has contested the police’s narrative, arguing that he did not fire at the officers first, as claimed, and insisted that police acted in self-defense. They further alleged that authorities pressured him into confessing to the sexual assault charges.
