2 held in Virar murder: Complaints by victim had led to closure of accused’s quarry, says police
The arrested quarry owner, Bhalchandra Patil, said that when they saw Aatmaram with a revenue official near their quarry on Tuesday, they suspected complaints had been filed again, which led to the murder.
The incident took place Tuesday afternoon when Patil, a local activist cum political party worker, was killed while a revenue official from the tehsildar office sustained minor injuries when the duo was attacked by 10– 12 persons at the Shirgaon quarry. (File Photo) The two accused, including a quarry owner, arrested in connection a murder during an inspection of a quarry in Shirgaon area of Virar on Tuesday, have told police that complaints made by the deceased Aatmaram Patil (54) and his associates had led to the closure of their quarry.
The arrested quarry owner, Bhalchandra Patil, said that when they saw Aatmaram with a revenue official near their quarry on Tuesday, they suspected complaints had been filed again, which led to the murder.
A senior officer of Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police station said, “The deceased Patil and his associates had in the past given complaints to the tehsildar’s office about illegalities around quarries. As a result of these complaints, some quarries, including that of the accused, were sealed leading to financial losses.”
“Some house owners, too, were upset with the deceased and their associates as complaints were filed against illegalities related to their properties as well,” the officer added.
The officer said two persons, including Bhalchandra and his associate, have been arrested while seven to eight other accused are still on the run. “More arrests are likely in the next few hours,” the officer said.
The incident took place Tuesday afternoon when Patil, a local activist cum political party worker, was killed while a revenue official from the tehsildar office sustained minor injuries when the duo was attacked by 10– 12 persons at the Shirgaon quarry. They were at the site to conduct an inspection after receiving complaints of illegality.
Hemant Patil, son of the deceased, told police that Bhalchandra had threatened his father several times in the past and alleged he was also attacked for opposing illegal quarries in Palghar area.
The officer added that they are going through previous cases to understand the nature of the dispute between the two sides.
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