Cops check if Raote visited Mantralaya before February 8
Police sources said the reason behind Raote's visit is still unclear, and it will be revealed as the probe goes forward.
Mumbai: The police is checking the visitor’s register from January to see if Harshal Raote had visited Mantralaya before Wednesday. The police is yet to ascertain the reason for his visit, and are a hoping a clue from the register will help them take the probe forward.
Police sources said the reason behind Raote’s visit is still unclear, and it will be revealed as the probe goes forward. In an attempt to learn the purpose of his visit, the registers and CCTV footages of the dates corresponding to the entry dates will be checked.
Source added that if they find out that Raote had visited earlier to meet someone, the investigation will pick up speed and the concerned person/s can be questioned accordingly.
Raote, a Chembur Gaothan resident and a convict on furlough, was arrested by Kalwa police in 2003 for allegedly killing his sister-in-law Suvarna Kadam. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and theft. He was out on a month-long parole since January 10. With the parole period ending on Thursday, he was due to return to jail. It is suspected that he was seeking help from the state home department to extend his furlough for a few more days.
In two previous incidents recorded this year, Dharma Patil (80) had consumed a poisonous substance at the Maharashtra secretariat on January 22 to protest against the low price offered by the state government while acquiring his land for a solar power plant. The second was Avinash Shete, a resident of Nevase in Ahmednagar district, who had poured kerosene on himself in front of the Mantralaya gates on Wednesday, but police stopped him before he could immolate himself.