Narendra Dabholkar case: CID to get Virendra Tawade’s custody soon

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials probing the murder of rationalist Dr M.M. Kalburgi are preparing to take into custody Virendra Tawade, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the murder case of anti-superstition crusader Narendra Dabholkar.

As there are striking similarities in the murder cases, the CID has decided to take Tawade, a member of Sanatan Sanstha, into custody once his CBI custody ends on June 20. An official told The Asian Age that the team was ready with necessary documents to get Tawade’s custody. “His CBI custody ends on June 20. Once he is remanded to judicial custody, we will get his under-trial prisoner number (UTP). Along with it, we will procure body warrant from the local court and then produce both to the CBI Special Court seeking his custody in Dr Kalburgi’s murder case,” the official said.

The CID has already exchanged information with the CBI regarding the murder cases of Kalburgi and Dabholkar. “Details of investigation of both these cases have already been exchanged by both the agencies. A Karnataka link to Dabholkar’s murder is also emerging as Tawade has revealed to the CBI officials that he had a few contacts in the state as well. Though there is no concrete information about his involvement in Kalburgi’s murder case, there are striking similarities in the modus operandi of both these murder cases.

Also, the role of Sanatan Sanstha members is strongly suspected in Kalburgi’s murder case. So, we are hopeful that Tawade’s interrogation would give us some leads in the case, though he would not be directly involved in the case,” the official added.

Tawade, reportedly a qualified ENT surgeon, was arrested by the CBI near Mumbai on June 10. While Kalburgi was shot dead on August 30, 2015, Dabholkar, a 67-year-old rationalist and author, was shot dead by two unidentified men in Pune on August 20, 2013.