In a major embarrassment for the crime branch, Vijay Palande, the prime accused in the sensational Arunkumar Tikku murder case, escaped from police custody just two hours after the highest-ranking officer of the crime branch announced his arrest at a press conference.
Palande was arrested along with Dhananjay Shinde and Manoj Gajk-osh on Tuesday morning.
Police spokesperson DCP Nisar Tamboli confirmed that he had esc-aped, but refused to share any further details. Sources added that Pal-ande fled from the crime branch’s unit 8 where he was being held.
Palande had befriended Arunkumar’s son Anuj two years ago and convinced him to lease out his three flats in Lokha-ndwala to a German woman, but Shinde and Gajkosh actually started living there.
Arunkumar, however, objected and drove them out.
On April 7, Palande took Anuj for purported drive to Goa, while Shinde and Gajkosh killed Arunk-umar in the Lokhandwala apartment, where he was staying. However, they were interrupted by a resident and fled the scene.
On learning about this, Palande abandoned Anuj near Trombay, where he was stranded, having no other friends in Mumbai. His absence seemed suspicious till the police traced and picked him up, after which it became clear that he had no clue about his father’s murder. Palande and Shinde were picked up from Karad on Monday, while Gajkosh was picked up from Bandra.
“The intention seems to have been to take over the three flats.
Palande was earlier convicted for the murder of an Air India union leader in 2000 and served a nine-year sentence,” said crime branch chief Himanshu Roy.