Nagpur: In order to achieve breakthrough in the mysterious firing on the car in which Mayor Sandeep Joshi was travelling, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday called the Mayor and recorded his statement. The CID also recorded statements of seven other persons in the case.
The probe into the firing case was handed over to the CID from the Crime Branch of Nagpur Police. Mayor Joshi had a narrow escape when two bike-borne men fired at his car on Wardha Road on December 17, 2019. The incident took place at around 11.59 pm when Joshi was returning home along with his family members and friends after celebrating his wedding anniversary at a restaurant. When Joshi’s car, last in the cavalcade, reached the junction of the Outer Ring Road and Wardha Road, two motorcycle-borne men, who were behind the car, fired three bullets at the vehicle and fled.
One bullet hit the driver’s window, another pierced through the passenger window behind the driver’s seat and the third hit the rear windshield of the car. During investigation of the case, the Crime Branch had also roped in a surveillance expert from Mumbai. He reportedly did analysis of dump data, CDRs and Internet Protocol Detail Record (IPDR). The IPDR study is used for analysis of data traffic statistics produced on a network on a particular mobile number. It helps to understand whether WhatsApp calls were made through the phone number to hide CDR and browsing history. However, after doing all technical analysis, the Crime Branch failed to zero in on the accused.
Joshi, who is complainant in the case, was called by the CID to verify his statement. Similarly, six other persons have also been questioned by the CID officials. The case was transferred to CID in the first week of July after the Crime Branch officials, probing the case for almost eight months, failed to get any breakthrough.
As the probe is in its initial phase, the investigators are trying to find out points that need to be reinvestigated. Sources claimed that persons interrogated by the Crime Branch would also be called by the CID for cross-examination. The CID officials are studying their statements recorded by the Crime Branch.
