A 59-year-old civic worker, Vijay Sapte, was shot dead inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai on Monday night after a member of an alleged wild-boar hunting party allegedly mistook the light of his mobile phone's flashlight for the eyes of an animal and fired two rounds, police said. Two other men — Kunal Shelar, 31, and Kalpesh Dagala, 25 — were injured in the shooting near Chena village.
Source: Mirror Now
Police said two groups of men had entered the forest area of the national park to hunt wild boars. The injured men were taken to Ashish Hospital in Chena village, while Sapte's body was taken to his home.
Source: Mirror Now
Death certified as heart attack — over a video call, police allege
Police allege that Dr Rajesh Palande of Ashish Hospital examined Sapte's body over a mobile phone video call and issued a death certificate attributing the death to a heart attack, without a physical examination. Deputy Commissioner of Police Rahul Chavan said the doctor was booked for allegedly issuing a false death certificate and helping the other accused cover up the killing.
Source: The Times of Bengal
The discrepancy came to light on Tuesday morning, after which Kashigaon police registered a case against seven people, including the victim's son, Rohit Sapte. Mahesh Gaikar, 52 — the man police allege fired the shots — and Kathod Labad were arrested for illegal possession and discharge of firearms, produced in court on Wednesday and remanded in police custody until October 24.
Source: Mirror Now
DCP Chavan said investigators are now tracing where the weapons came from and whether the accused held valid firearm licences, alongside probing the circumstances of the doctor's certificate. All allegations are under investigation and have not been proved in court.