Sena man shot at in temple: Hunt for 2nd assailant on

The investigation of the firing, in which a Shiv Sena leader was shot at inside a temple in Tagore Nagar, Vikhroli, on Thursday morning, has been handed over to the anti-extortion cell of Mumbai police’s crime branch. While one assailant, Abhay Vikram Singh, 22, was caught on the spot, police suspect there was another assailant and are trying to trace him.

Sena leader and the deputy vibhag pramukh of Vikhroli, Chandrashekhar Keshav Jadhav, 55, was injured in the incident and is currently in a stable condition.

Crime branch sources said the assailant, who claimed he was hired to kill Jadhav, has been stonewalling questions and changing statements. Singh has told the police that he was contacted through social media and was offered money to shoot Jadhav.

Singh, who was injured during the scuffle after he shot at Jadhav, was hospitalised. “He has been shifted from Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar to JJ Hospital,” said Shahji Umap, deputy commissioner of police.

The crime branch has also launched teams to trace the second suspect who is believed to have dropped Singh off at the spot before the firing. The police are also investigating if the shooting was done at behest of a gangster, who is believed to be abroad.

According to the police, Jadhav was making his daily visit to the Sai Baba temple around 7.10am along with his son Darshan and another colleague when the attack took place. Jadhav, who is a trustee of the temple, was seated in the temple office when Singh opened fire. The bullet hit Jadhav in his right arm.