Pune former cop held in RTI activist murder

The CBI on Wednesday arrested a former policeman of Pune crime branch in connection with its investigations into the murder case of RTI activist Satish Shetty.

Sources said B.R. Andhalkar, then police inspector with the local crime branch, was arrested for allegedly conspiring with others in the murder of Shetty on January 13, 2010. They said he was found to be deceptive and avoiding crucial questions during the polygraph tests conducted on him.

As part of the investigation team, sources said, Andhalkar also allegedly manipulated and fabricated evidence to shield the real conspirators and killers. The agency will produce him before the magistrate on Thursday to seek his custody. This is the first arrest in the murder which was believed to be a blind case for CBI.

The agency had decided to re-investigate the murder after it recovered certain documents, indicative of possible missing evidence in the murder case, from a builder whose offices and residence were searched in January 2015 in a separate case registered in November 2014. CBI had earlier filed a closure report filed before the special court in August, 2014, sources said.

Shetty was murdered on January 13, 2010 in Pune by unidentified assailants when he had stepped out of his house for a morning walk at Talegaon Dabhade town in Pune district. The unidentified men had attacked him with swords.