Chunabhatti Firing Case: 17th Accused Arrested

In the Chunabhatti firing incident of December 25 in which gangster Sunil Yerunkar alias Pappu was killed in broad daylight, the 17th accused has been arrested. Vishal Krishna Utekar was presented in court on Wednesday, a day after his arrest.

Until Tuesday, the police had arrested 16 people suspected to be involved in the firing. Utekar’s role has not been established in the crime yet, but the police said he was interrogated earlier as well. Sources said Utekar owns the studio where the shooting occurred. Minutes before the shooting, when Yerunkar was inside, Utekar was seen clicking pictures and is suspected to be tipping off the rival gang who started the shootout. 

During the court hearing on Wednesday, the police asked for Utekar’s custody but it was denied due to failure of proving a satisfactory ground. Hence Utekar was sent to judicial custody till next hearing on February 27. 

Meanwhile, the police have invoked the stringent sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the matter. Last week, Sandesh Dhumal, 25, was arrested for allegedly being a part of the gang and for his presence at the time of the shooting. The rival gang was led by Sunny Patil and Sagar Sawant. From Dhumal, the 16th accused, the police recovered 10 illegal weapons.