The Mumbai Police on Thursday detained Sandeep Gadoli’s model girlfriend Divya Pahuja and her mother in Delhi in connection with the alleged fake encounter of the Haryana-based gangster.
The police said they will arrest Pahuja if her involvement in the case is proved. However, she has been detained on suspicion and investigations are on.
“We have detained them and will bring them to Mumbai for investigations,” said K.M.M. Prasanna, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime). The development comes a day after two constables Vikram Singh and Jitendra Yadav were arrested in the case.
Last week, the police had arrested sub-inspector Pradhyuman Yadav, who led a team of the Haryana Police, which killed Gadoli in an encounter at Hotel Airport Metro in Mumbai on February 7. Gadoli’s family had moved the Bombay High Court alleging that it was a fake encounter, following which the Mumbai Police started a probe.
Gadoli had more than 34 cases registered against him. The Mumbai Crime Branch has also seized CCTV footage from the hotel where Singh was seen throwing the revolver off Gadoli’s hand. Yadav was seen shooting at Gadoli.
The Mumbai Police had formed a Special Investigation Team soon after Gadoli was killed. While the police contended that the encounter was staged, their Gurgaon counterparts said that the gangster was killed in retaliatory fire. Gadoli’s girlfriend, who was in the room at the time of the encounter, had allegedly tipped off the police about his location.
The writer is a freelance journalist