Mumbai, November 02, 2026: The sessions court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to gangster Kumar Pillai in a case registered with Vikhroli police station in 2007 following the murder of a member of a rival gang, Sunil Magade.
Pillai was repatriated to Hong Kong after being acquitted in all the cases for which he had been extradited to India. Now, Pillai, who is presently in Hong Kong, has moved a plea seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the murder case.
Murder And Attempt To Murder Case
As per the prosecution case, accused Anil Ramsevak Pandey, Amit Bhogle and Silvaraj Vellutambi, along with Kumar Pillai, fired bullets using a foreign-made pistol.
In this incident, Magade died and Shashank Ahire sustained serious injuries. Hence, a case of murder and attempt to murder was registered at Vikhroli police station.
Pillai's lawyer, Pankaj Kavale, contended that Pillai was not physically present in India at the time of the incident and that there was no material establishing his presence at the scene of the offence. Besides, it was contended that Pillai was extradited to India for three cases, in which the present case was not mentioned.
It was contended that the applicant was extradited to India in 2016 and remained within the jurisdiction of Indian authorities for several years thereafter.
Despite such availability, no effort was made to arrest him in connection with the present crime. According to the applicant, this circumstance substantially weakens the necessity of his custody.
On the contrary, the defence said the open-dated warrant issued against Pillai came to be cancelled by the court and, after obtaining the requisite permissions from the concerned authorities, Pillai was permitted to leave India and was repatriated to Hong Kong.
Prosecution Cites Gang Rivalry And Revenge
The plea was opposed by Public Prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves, who contended that the present offence has its roots in a long-standing rivalry. It is alleged that the father of the applicant was murdered in 1989 by persons including Lal Singh Chauhan and his associates. According to the prosecution, the murder forming the subject matter of the present crime was committed as an act of revenge.
The court, however, noted that the prosecution attributes a specific motive to the applicant and alleges his involvement in a retaliatory killing arising out of an old rivalry. Whether such allegations are ultimately proved is a matter for trial.
Court Cites Red Corner Notice
While rejecting the plea, the court said that issues related to his extradition would have to be examined at an appropriate stage.
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"The merits of the prosecution case or the legal consequences flowing from the extradition proceedings cannot be conclusively adjudicated in the present application. Another significant circumstance is that the applicant is presently residing outside India. Though the applicant has contended that he has family ties in India and is willing to cooperate with the investigation, the prosecution has pointed out that a Red Corner Notice had to be issued against him in the past. This circumstance cannot be completely ignored while assessing the possibility of securing his availability during the course of investigation," the court said while rejecting his plea.
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