On Sunday, Mumbai Crime Branch arrested Govind Yadav, a SIM card supplier, in connection with the murder of Sachin Kurmi, a prominent Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader from the Byculla division. This marks the fourth arrest in the case, following the earlier apprehension of Anand Kale, Vijay Kakade, and Praful Patkar.
Yadav, who was arrested in Bandra, allegedly provided SIM cards to the three primary suspects involved in Kurmi’s murder. Authorities have stated that this arrest is a significant step in the ongoing investigation, though Kurmi’s family has expressed dissatisfaction, demanding further arrests. They claim that Kurmi, also known as Munna, had been threatened and attacked by another gang that remains at large.
Sachin Kurmi was tragically stabbed 20 times on October 5 during a late-night walk in Byculla. The assailants, three unknown individuals, attacked him without warning, and despite being rushed to JJ Hospital, Kurmi was declared dead. The incident shocked the community, prompting his family to call for a CBI probe.
In response to the family’s demands and political pressure, including a meeting between NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal and the Mumbai Police Commissioner, the case was transferred from the local police to the Crime Branch. Last week, the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) was applied to the case to aid the investigation.
“After applying MCOCA, we took custody of the three accused from the Byculla police station, who had not been interrogated earlier. During further investigations, we learned about Yadav’s involvement, and he is now in custody,” said a Crime Branch officer.
Kurmi’s family continues to allege that more individuals were involved in the attack, with suspicions that a rival gang remains unaccounted for. They are calling for the arrest of four additional suspects they believe played a role in the murder.
