Mumbai crime branch files 700-page chargesheet in Abhishek Ghosalkar murder case. Mauris Noronha accused of shooting him due to grudge.

Crime

Crime Branch Submits Chargesheet in Ghosalkar Murder Case

by Prasanna April 9, 2024 0 Comment

Mumbai crime branch files 700-page chargesheet in Abhishek Ghosalkar murder case. Mauris Noronha accused of shooting him due to grudge.

The Mumbai crime branch has filed a 700-page chargesheet in the Esplanade court in connection with the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar, claiming he was shot dead by ‘social activist’ Mauris Noronha aka Mauris Bhai, who nursed a deep grudge against him. The chargesheet includes CCTV footage of Noronha’s office as the main evidence, as well as statements of 72 witnesses including his personal assistant, auto rickshaw drivers and women present near his office, said police officials.

During the probe, police found that Noronha killed Ghosalkar on February 8 evening, during the live streaming of their conversation from his office in IC Colony, Borivali West, as he believed that the rape case against him was lodged at the behest of the Sena leader. He had to spend three months in jail in connection with the case, and his visits abroad to play poker and earn money had to be curtailed as Ghosalkar alerted the embassy.

The police probe further found that Noronha hired bodyguard Amrendra Mishra with the intention of killing Ghosalkar, as he possessed a weapon registered in Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh, said officials. On the day of the incident, Mishra reached the office around 2:30pm, kept his gun in the lockup and left the premises; he was neither present in the office at the time of murder nor did he have any role in the conspiracy, said officials.

“During the live streaming on February 8, Noronha left his seat twice, urging Ghosalkar to continue talking. The second time, he brought the pistol from the mezzanine floor with him and fired five rounds at Ghosalkar. Four bullets found their target while the fifth one missed him and was embedded on a wall,” said a police officer.

The CCTV camera inside Noronha’s office was not functioning, but one camera outside the gate captured an injured Ghosalkar pushing the office door open and falling down, with Norhona following him, and after a few seconds, trying to shoot himself in the head, the officer added. “Noronha pulled the trigger. But the gun had run out of ammunition. He then ran up to the mezzanine floor, and the sound of another round being fired was heard,” the officer noted.

Ghosalkar’s associates rushed him to a hospital nearby, but he succumbed to his wounds, while Noronha’s body was found slumped on the sofa on the mezzanine floor, the pistol lying between his knees. Police later found five live cartridges on the table on the same floor. Ghosalkar’s irate supporters subsequently vandalised Noronha’s office, which was built to resemble a Las Vegas casino.