SS-UBT leader's killing: Mauris' bodyguard gets 4 days police remand

Mumbai, Feb 10 (IANS) A Mumbai Metropolitan Magistrate Court has remanded Amarendra Mishra -- who was arrested in connection with the killing of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek V. Ghosalkar -- to police custody for four days till February 13, here on Saturday.

Mishra (44) who joined the gangster-businessman Mauris Noronha as his personal bodyguard three months ago, was arrested on Friday under sections of the Arms Act, as the purported weapon used in the murder-and-suicide case, belonged to him.

Noronha reportedly took the revolver – belonging to Mishra and having a licence from Uttar Pradesh – to shoot Ghosalkar during a Facebook live session at his IC Colony office, and then ran upstairs to the mezzanine floor of his office and shot himself multiple times.

Seeking seven days custody, the police prosecutor informed the court that they needed to verify whether the arms license submitted by Mishra, living in Bhayander east (Thane), was indeed genuine and issued by the concerned UP authorities.

The police also sought to confirm if there were any financial dealings between Mishra and the deceased Mauris, which could be the probable reason why he handed over his weapon to him, why it was not registered in Mumbai also, his salary details, and other things.

After the Magistrate sent him to police custody, Mishra was escorted outside the court when he started shouting that “I have been framed… Injustice is being done to me…I am being wrongly trapped,” before the police team subdued him

Ghosalkar’s killing on February 8 by Mauris – who also committed suicide minutes later – has ignited a massive public and political outrage in the state, with demands to sack the Maharashtra government for the collapse of law-and-order in the state, to impose President’s Rule and conduct polls along with the Lok Sabha elections.

--IANS

qn/dan