Week on, police clueless on who murdered Narendra Dabholkar

Mumbai: Over a week after anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar was murdered by unknown assailants, the Pune Police are yet to make an arrest in the case.

A Pune Crime Branch team investigating the case has so far failed to secure any breakthrough in the murder despite questioning over 1,400 people.

According to a Times of India report  that quotes a senior Crime Branch official, the assailants in the case may be from Thane or Mumbai. The official, however, says the police, “do not have any clue” about who the assailants may be.

Investigators have also decided to shift their focus from right-wing groups to financial institutions and persons who could have been affected by  Dabholkar’s sustained anti-superstition campaign.

“We have eliminated some, but others are still being probed,” Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Kumar Singhal told the daily .

Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil had on Tuesday said the culprits in the case will be arrested soon.

“The investigation in the case is progressing on all fronts. Though I cannot divulge much at this stage, I can tell you that… we would be able to get hold of the accused very soon and expose the conspirators,” Patil had told reporters.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had earlier said police had found some clues in the case although they were not enough to lead to any arrests.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria arrived in Pune on Tuesday to help the local Crime Branch with its probe.

Dabholkar was killed on 20 August by two assailants who fired at him from close range when he was out for a morning walk at Omkareshwar bridge.

With PTI inputs