Man accused of killing American model in Thane held in Czech Republic

The team from the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police has successfully completed the procedure to extradite Vipul Manubhai Patel from Prague- the capital city of the Czech Republic for the alleged involvement in the murder of US-based model Leona Swiderski in 2003. The four-member team led by DCP (Zone I) Amit Kale and Senior Police Inspector- Sanjay Hazare arrested the accused and landed in Mumbai on Friday. Following a red corner notice issued against Patel, the National Central Bureau (NCB) in the Czech Republic arrested him on 26, November 2021 for his alleged involvement in the murder. The NCB in Prague is part of the national police structure.

The special team from the MBVV police under the supervision of commissioner- Sadanand Date communicated with the Interpol, CBI and Ministry for External Affairs to ensure a smooth extradition process to bring back Patel who will be produced before the Judicial Magistrate (First Class), 8th court, Thane on Saturday. Swiderski was found dead on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Kashimira in February 2003, shortly after she landed at the Mumbai Airport on 7, February. Investigations revealed that Desai conspired with Patel and two others to murder Swiderski to claim the benefits of her high-value insurance policy. Both were arrested for the crime but were acquitted by the sessions court Thane in September 2003. The acquittal order was challenged in the Mumbai High Court which issued a standing non-bailable warrant and lookout notice to apprehend the suspect.