Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has formally taken over the probe of the sensational sensational fatal shootout involving Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar and local businessman-philanthropist Mauris Noronha alias Mauris Bhai, who later died by suicide.
The incident had taken place on 8 February, 2024 in the Borivali-Dahisar suburbs of Mumbai.
Seven months after the incident, the CBI took over the case following instructions of the Bombay High Court.
The case was originally lodged by MHB Colony police station in Borivli and later transferred to the Crime Branch.
Abhishek’s father Vinod Ghosalkar, is a former Shiv Sena MLA from Dahisar in Mumbai.
The incident has been caught on camera during Facebook Live.
The Ghosalkar-family is very close to the Thackerays and the family also plays a prominent role in Mumbai politics and the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Vinod Ghosalkar has been a former MLA from Mumbai suburbs and before that he had been the Chairman of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
The Ward No. 1 of the BMC had been represented by Abhishek Ghosalkar and his wife Tejasvee Ghosalkar earlier - and the couple was popular in the region for their social activities.
After the incident, Tejasvee approached the Bombay High Court seeking a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or an independent agency like CBI as she felt that the investigation by the Crime Branch of Mumbai police was not proper.
The probe by the Crime Branch revealed that Noronha had allegedly used the licensed weapon of his bodyguard Amrendra Mishra to kill Ghosalkar and later, shot himself. Mishra was arrested under the Arms Act.
Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe. “If all angles of a case are not examined as in the present case, it would lead to travesty of justice. Therefore, even if there are innocent lapses in the investigation, it cannot be allowed to continue, as it would ultimately result in denial of a fair and impartial investigation, leading to miscarriage of justice, which cannot be permitted,” said a division bench comprising Justice Revati Mohite-Dere and Justice Shyam Chandak.