Who was 'Mauris Bhai'? Man who shot Shiv Sena leader
What's the story
Abhishek Ghosalkar, former corporator of Shiv Sena (UBT), was shot dead in Mumbai during a Facebook live on Thursday, allegedly by his old rival Mauris Noronha, who later shot himself fatally.
Ghosalkar and Noronha, a "philanthropist," had recently reconciled, police said.
To recall, the incident comes a week after the shooting in which Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, fired at Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde group functionary Mahesh Gaikwad in Thane.
Who is Mauris Noronha
Noronha accused of blackmailing, raping 48-year-old
Popularly known as "Mauris Bhai," Noronha was a poker player who gained a positive reputation during the Covid-19 pandemic for assisting people from the marginalized communities.
In 2022, police issued a lookout notice against Noronha. He was accused of blackmailing, raping, cheating, and threatening a 48-year-old woman.
Although the allegations dated back to 2014, the complaint was lodged in 2022, leading to Noronha's arrest in connection with the case.
Political fued
Noronha wanted to contest corporator elections
According to reports, Noronha wanted to contest the upcoming corporator elections on a ticket of Ghosalkar's party.
However, former corporator who is also the son of prominent Shiv Sena UBT leader Vinod Ghosalkar, opposed his candidacy.
Since his arrest in the rape case, Noronha had suspected that Ghosalkar was behind the "legal troubles" he faced, and allegedly came up with a plan to murder the Shiv Sena leader, reports said.
Shooting
Incident took place at Noronha's office
The incident took place when Ghosalkar went to Noronha's office to talk and resolve their differences.
A viral video of the incident, which took place at the IC Colony in the northern suburb of Borivali (West) on Thursday evening, showed Ghosalkar being shot in the abdomen and shoulder.
The Shiv Sena leader was taken to Borivali's Karuna Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Twitter Post
Trigger warning: Video of Ghosalkar being shot on FB live
Is underworld back in Mumbai in different form? Earlier BJP MLA opened fire in police station. Now, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar, son of fr Sena MLA Vinod Ghosalkar was shot at Dahisar during Facebook live. Morris who had got past criminal records shot at Ghosalkar pic.twitter.com/5PY964oOn4
— Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) February 8, 2024
Case filed
2 FIRs registered: One for murder, other for suicide
Police said two first information reports (FIR) were registered in the case - one for murder and the other for suicide.
The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police has taken over the investigation.
According to police, the gun used in the firing is suspected to be an illegal weapon.
Meanwhile, one person - Mehul Parikh - was arrested in the case. He was also at the site during the shootings, police said, adding that a probe was underway.
Reaction
Ajit Pawar's statement on Ghosalkar's murder
Addressing the media on the Ghosalkar murder case, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Friday, "Such an incident should not have happened in Maharashtra."
"It is clearly visible in the video that there were friendly relations between the two; despite this, if such a thing happens, then the entire matter should be investigated," he added.
Twitter Post
Read: Deputy CM's full statement here
Pune: On Shive Sena (UBT) corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar's murder, Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP Chief Ajit Pawar says, "Such an incident should not have happened in Maharashtra. It is clearly visible in the video that there were friendly relations between the two, despite this,… pic.twitter.com/GfkFjVxKD7
— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2024