Mumbai: The lawyer booked for abetting the suicide of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sudhir More is still at large despite the police searching for her at all possible locations – the latest being her farmhouse in Karjat.
The accused, Nilima Chavan, had filed for anticipatory bail (ACB) at the session court after More’s son, Samar, registered a first information report (FIR) against her for “mentally harassing” his father, which led to his death by suicide on August 31. In the bail plea, Chavan stated that she had been falsely implicated in the crime and that she had nothing to do with the alleged offence.
The Free Press Journal has a copy of the court order.
Mere phone conversation does not amount to abetment of suicide, states Chavan's plea
Chavan’s plea added that there was no material to show that she had caused any harassment or mental agony to the deceased and a mere phone conversation does not amount to abetment of suicide.
The prosecution – Kurla Government Railway Police – said that if she was released on anticipatory bail it would affect the collection of evidence, adding that custodial interrogation of the applicant (Chavan) was necessary. It informed the court that about 56 phone calls were made to the deceased by Chavan, on the day of the incident. In these calls, the deceased allegedly “requested” Chavan to stop the harassment. Based on these arguments, the court rejected her plea and asked her advocate to cooperate with the investigation.
However, since then, Chavan has been allegedly missing.
“Her two phones are switched off. Her residential address mentioned in the ACB [at Parksite, Vikhroli] is where her elderly mother lived alone. Her second location is in Mulund – she has rented that apartment to someone. We found out about her farmhouse in Karjat and a team was sent but she is not there either. We are waiting for her phone to switch on and as soon as that happens, it will be traced and she will be placed under arrest,” said a police official at Kurla GRP.
Call recordings obtained from More's phone to be used as evidence
Meanwhile, police sources confirmed that they had gathered phone recordings obtained from More’s phone. Once Chavan is arrested and her phone is seized, it will be matched to confirm – that will be used as evidence.
More was found dead on the railway tracks of Ghatkopar, going towards Vidyavihar, on the night of August 31. At first, the matter was of accidental death. However, on September 1, Samar’s statement was recorded by the police for over two hours, after which it was converted into an FIR with Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
