Nagpur: After sleeping over BJP leader Omprakash Munna Yadav’s case for more than three months, the cops could not trace the absconding criminal. Now they have shifted the investigations to the crime branch. The development was conveyed to Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court by joint commissioner of police (CP) Shivaji Bodkhe through a letter.
A division bench comprising justices Ravi Deshpande and Murlidhar Giratkar then adjourned the hearing by a week.
The court was hearing a plea by Navita Yadav, through counsel Rajnish Vyas, praying for a CBI enquiry. She had charged the police with shielding Yadav, a former BJP corporator from Ajni, due to his strong connections with the top BJP leadership.
Despite facing many criminal charges, including 12 complaints against him at various police stations, Yadav was appointed chairman of Maharashtra State Construction Workers’ Welfare Board, a post equivalent to minister of state, by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Yadav and his family, including his wife Lakshmi, and sons — Karan and Arjun — were recently booked for attacking and seriously injuring Mangal Yadav, his sister Manju, brothers Papa and Gabbar Yadav, and others, on October 21 over a dispute on bursting firecrackers. The victims were attacked with sword, iron rods, sticks and bricks, which left them seriously injured. The police had booked the Yadavs under various sections including for attempt to murder.
Lakshmi, BJP corporator from Ajni, has already secured bail from HC while her sons were released on bail last month after they surrendered. Yadav and his younger brother Bala are still on the run.
As cops failed to nab Yadav and his sons for over two months, the city police machinery faced the wrath from opposition Congress-NCP members during the assembly session in December. Opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil had launched a blistering attack on the CM for protecting the absconding goon with offences against him. They wanted him to be declared an absconder and dismissed from the post of chairman of workers welfare board.
While speaking on the debate on deteriorating law and order situation in Maharashtra, Vikhe-Patil slammed the police while disclosing that Yadav was hiding in a farmhouse about 22km from the city, and named BJP corporator Vicky Kukreja for helping him. He called on the police to arrest Kukreja and force him to spill the beans on Yadav’s whereabouts.
