According to the police, the shooter—Imran Qureshi—is a notorious criminal and a former member of the DK Rao gang, which was led by an aide of gangster Chhota Rajan
Imran Qureshi has a long criminal record, including charges of attempted murder, murder, extortion, gang wars, and rioting, the police said.
The sharpshooter involved in the Sanpada firing case that took place on January 3 has been arrested by local police in Pune on Tuesday.
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According to the police, the shooter—Imran Qureshi—is a notorious criminal and a former member of the DK Rao gang, which was led by an aide of gangster Chhota Rajan.
A resident of Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai, Qureshi has a long criminal record, including charges of attempted murder, murder, extortion, gang wars, and rioting, filed across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and other parts of Maharashtra.
He is described as a sharpshooter with exceptional shooting skills. In 2019, Qureshi, along with his partner Amjad Khan, was arrested by Mumbai Police for allegedly shooting and stabbing a man.
Qureshi's weapon, which was used in the crime, has been seized by the police. He will be handed over to Sanpada Police for further investigation.
On January 11, the Mumbai Crime Branch had nabbed the primary accused in the Sanpada firing case. According to the police, Santosh Gawli, a former garbage contractor, allegedly orchestrated the plan to kill his successor, Rajaram Thoke. Following an extensive manhunt conducted by the crime branch and Navi Mumbai Police officers, Gawli was apprehended in Pune.
mid-day had earlier reported that Gawli was tracked by special police teams despite his technical acumen, which helped him evade capture. “He knew the tricks to remain untraceable, such as using different SIM cards and relying on WhatsApp calls instead of regular calls. Most of the time, he would place a call but disconnect after one ring — a method of communication to signal for money arrangements. He frequently switched SIM cards and turned off his phone after such missed-call cues, which significantly delayed our tracking efforts,” explained a police officer involved in the investigation.
The officer added, “We knew he was near the Maharashtra border and had identified his tower location but not his precise spot. He kept moving using various modes of transportation. Initially, he was in Karnataka's Hubli, before travelling to Pune, which we deduced through technical investigations and information from local informants.”
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