The Yerawada police on Monday filed an application in the court of judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) S M Padolikar seeking that builder Umesh Goel be declared an absconder. The court has directed the assistant public prosecutor Kiran Bendbhar to file the prosecutions say on Tuesday,after which it will make an order on the application.
The Yerawada police have framed charges against 55-year-old Umesh Goel,of Goel-Raisoni Associates for entering into a criminal conspiracy to kill RTI applicant Arvind Kaushal on April 8. The police had earlier arrested Ganesh Chonde,a former employee of the construction firm,for allegedly receiving contract amount of Rs 50,000 from Goel to attack Kaushal. Chonde had roped in his associate Altaf Momin to execute the attack. Momin in turn sent Azhar Shaikh and Naseem Ansari to attack Kaushal.
Goel had applied for anticipatory bail in Pune sessions court and Bombay High Court,which was rejected at both places. The application filed by senior police inspector Deepak Sawant states,Goel was not present in court during hearing on these anticipatory bail applications. His mobile phone,too is switched off and is unavailable at his home,office or relatives’ house. Neither Goels relatives know where he is nor has he contacted anyone. Goel is hiding to escape arrest. Hence,the court is requested to declare him absconding according to section 82 (proclamation for person absconding) of Criminal Procedure Code.
Earlier,the police had issued a lookout notice against Goel. Around three months ago,Kaushal had filed an RTI query with PMC’s building permission department about construction of some shops in his residential society -Ganga Constella by Goel-Raisoni Associates in Kharadi.