Mystery deepens over death of Adv Khandalkar

• The lawyer was alive for 2.35 hours and died on Sunday at 7 pm, claims police giving a new twist to entire case 
• Probe handed over to Crime Branch 
• Relatives suspect foul play in suspicious death 

By Dheeraj Fartode

Mystery deepened over suspicious death of Adv Shrikant Khandalkar as Sadar Police on Monday made a sensational disclosure that Adv Khandalkar was alive at 4.35 pm when the body was first discovered by the cops. He was alive but unconscious for two hours and 25 minutes, the police said. The medical treatment was offered to him, but he succumbed to injuries at 7 pm.  

This revealation has shattered all previous theories about suicide or homicide and about the timing of his death and gave a new twist to ongoing investigation. It was believed that his dead body was lying in garbage in the backside of Nyay Mandir and perhaps the death occured on Saturday evening. But, if police release is to be believed, Khandalkar was alive when his badly mangled body was discovered. 

Now, the investigators will first find out where Adv Khandalkar was staying for 24 hours since Saturday evening as his phone was switched off on Saturday evening after the last call was made to his wife at around 4.30 pm. 

The police press note further said that a badly injured Adv Khandalkar was taken to Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH) on Sunday evening and was treated at hospital and doctors declared him dead at 7 pm. As per the preliminary theory made by the police, Adv Khandalkar had jumped from the building and succumbed to multiple injuries. The preliminary details emanating from the post martem report confirmed that Adv Khandalkar succumbed to multiple injuries due to fall from height. But due to new information by police, a big question mark over timing and cause of death still remains. Perhaps, the untraceable mobile phone of Adv Khandalkar (9373210222) holds key to this mystery. Cops are already probing the call detail records and tower locations of all call made to and from the mobile of deceased. 

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police (CP) Sharda Prasad Yadav has transferred investigation of the case to Crime Branch. Looking at the complexity of the matter and its deeper implications, the police chief decided to rope in Crime branch after meeting relatives of Adv Khandalkar and a delegation of High Court Bar Association. They suspected foul play and urged to probe homicide angle. 

A police officer said that prima facie, it doesn’t looks like case of homicide as the suicide note clearly stated that illness lead him to take the extreme step. And, his brother has identified the handwriting of the note which supports suicide angle. 

Cops have examined call records of Adv Khandalkar and so far found nothing suspicious. He was using two sim-cards and one was switched off since 1.30 pm of Saturday. He had made five to six calls on Saturday. His last call was to his wife Dr Nishigandha at 4.30 pm. The conversation lasted for almost 12 minutes. His wife had sent a SMS to him at around 5.30 pm. He had made a call to senior lawyer of High Court and also received and dialed calls to four to five his clients. The cops will verify every call record of Adv Khandalkar soon. The phone was under the coverage of Reliance’s VCA tower which is around 500 meters away from Nyay Mandir building. However, after Saturday evening, the cell phone was switched off and hence tower location and his physical location could not be established as yet. 

The cops have also recovered medicine from his pockets which he used to take due to depression. His relatives including brother informed the police about his depression. However, the reason behind the depression was still not established. 

His badly mangled body was found inside Nyay Mandir premises on Sunday afternoon. Looking at the gravity of the matter, the cops on Sunday evening decided to investigate the entire case from homicidal death angle. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already directed top officials to personally supervise the investigations and unearth the truth. Meanwhile, the last rites of Adv Khandalkar were performed at Ambazari ghat in presence of a large number of lawyers and judges.