Sanpada firing accused hiding near Maharashtra border, say police

Navi Mumbai: So, there was this shooting incident in Sanpada on January 3. The main suspect, a 40-year-old guy named Santosh Gawli, has been on the run. He and another shooter took off towards Panvel right after the incident, and that’s where the trail went cold for a bit.

But the police didn’t give up. They used tech and tips from informants to track them down near the Maharashtra border. Apparently, Gawli has been using a burner phone to keep in touch with his family, letting them know he’s okay and asking for cash. He thinks switching SIM cards and using WhatsApp calls will keep him off the radar, but the police have his tower location and are closing in.

The whole thing started when two guys on a motorcycle shot at Rajaram Thoke, a contractor at the APMC market. They fired several rounds before speeding off. Thoke was hit four times but is stable now. Gawli, who used to work as a contractor, got jealous after losing his contract to Thoke and decided to take matters into his own hands.

It turns out Gawli had been planning this for a couple of months. He got help from another shooter to get a gun and figure out how to carry out the attack. They even followed Thoke around to learn his routine. The Sanpada police and the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch are working together on this case, and it looks like they’re getting closer to catching the suspects.