Analyst held for aiding Palande

Around 7.30 pm on April 10,when Palande was being escorted from the Mumbai Police headquarters in Crawford Market to a Crime Branch unit in Andheri,he managed to escape from a police jeep. He was,however,apprehended from Churchgate railway station around midnight.

Vora has been booked under Sections 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension),225 (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person,and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. He was produced before the Esplanade Court and remanded in police custody till April 27.

However,advocate Rajendra Sironkar argued that Vora knew Palande as Karan Sood and had no idea of his criminal background. “Vora met Palande through Simran Sood and Palande was introduced as her brother. So,when Palande approached Vora,he just helped him without knowing what Palande was up to. Also,the police have been taking his statement claiming he could have been the next victim,” Sorankar argued.

He also told the court that if Vora had any clue he was to be arrested,he would have sought anticipatory bail. According to the Crime Branch,soon after escaping from the police vehicle,Palande got in touch with Vora and asked him to come near Marine Lines station. The two then allegedly met as planned and around 9 pm went to Hotel Godwin in Colaba,where Vora had booked a room. At the hotel,Palande rested and changed into new clothes,which Vora had paid for. The two then parted ways and Palande was arrested shortly after.

According to the police remand application,Vora checked into the hotel at 4.35 pm on April 10 and checked out at 7 am the following day. “Before heading to Marine Lines,Palande had also called a relative and asked for his passport to be brought to him in South Mumbai. We are probing the role of this person. Besides,we are also probing the amount of money Vora helped Palande with and whether Vora had arranged tickets to help him go out of the country,” said a Crime Branch officer,who did not wish to be named.

Vora was earlier in trouble when his name cropped up during the probe into model Viveka Babajee’s suicide at her Bandra flat in June 2010. The two were allegedly in a relationship and Babajee left a note: “U (you) killed me Gautam Vora.” The police had questioned Vora on multiple occasions and finally given him a clean chit.

Police sources said Vora met Sood in 2005. She told him that her brother Karan Sood was in jail and she wanted money to get him out on bail. Vora had then allegedly paid for the legal expenses and Sood’s expensive lifestyle. In 2007,Sood introduced Vora to Palande. Vora also knew Kakad,the police said.

Meanwhile,the court remanded Sood in police custody till April 26,and Palande and Manoj Gajkosh were sent to police custody till April 25. Dhananjay Shinde,another accused,has given a confessional statement before a magistrate,the police said on Monday.