Five held in Satara robbery after bail in Mukundwadi murder case

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Within hours of securing bail in the Mukundwadi murder case on Friday, five men were re-arrested the same night for their alleged role in a recent armed robbery in Satara. A city court on Saturday remanded them to police custody till June 25.

The accused Mastan alias Nanna Qureshi (29), Sameer Khan (19), Babar Shaikh (32), Sajid alias Sajju Qureshi (29), and Nasir Khan (20) had earlier been booked for a brutal knife attack near Mukundwadi bus stop on Thursday night that killed Nitin Sankpal and left two others battling for life. After their release on conditional bail in the murder case, police received a tip-off linking them to a Rs 1.5 lakh armed heist on May 20 in Satara. Acting swiftly, police inspector Sangram Tathe arrested all five late Friday night. In court, assistant public prosecutor Savita Hivrale sought 10 days’ custody, citing the need to recover stolen goods and weapons used in the robbery. She called the offence serious and demanded time for thorough investigation. Defence lawyer Adv. Azhar Sheikh opposed the custody, claiming the accused had no link to the robbery and were being framed soon after getting bail. After hearing both sides, the magistrate remanded all five accused to police custody till June 25.