Badlapur sexual assault accused killed: Cop who shot Akshay Shinde worked with top ‘encounter specialist' Pradeep Sharma

Badlapur sexual assault accused Akshay Shinde shot dead: Sanjay Shinde, police inspector who shot dead Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde, has reportedly worked with suspended former ‘encounter specialist’ Pradeep Sharma in the past.

Akshay Shinde, 24, was accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls at a school in Badlapur town of Thane district. A contractual sweeper at the school in Badlapur, Akshay Shinde was arrested on August 17, five days after he allegedly sexually abused the two girls in the school toilet.

He was killed near Mumbra Bypass in Thane on Monday evening when he allegedly snatched the gun of a policeman while he was being ferried in a police vehicle as part of a probe into a case registered against him on the complaint of his former wife, an official earlier said.

After he shot and injured an assistant police inspector, another officer from the police escort team fired at him, and he was declared dead by doctors at the Kalwa civic hospital, the official said.

Akshay Shinde was being transported to Badlapur from Taloja jail for investigation. In the firing, Sanjay Shinde and assistant police inspector Nilesh More were injured.

India Today reported that Sanjay Shinde had previously worked with the anti-extortion cell of the Thane Police Crime Branch, then headed by Pradeep Sharma. He was part of the team which arrested gangster Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar.

Pradeep Sharma earned a reputation as an ‘encounter specialist’ in the Mumbai Police, credited with neutralising more than 100 criminals throughout his career. Having joined the force in 1983, Pradeep Sharma gained prominence in the 1990s for his role in high-profile encounters against members of the Mumbai underworld, particularly those linked to the Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan gangs.

However, Sharma was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the 2006 fake encounter of Lakhan Bhaiya, who was reportedly a former aide of Chhota Rajan.

Sanjay Shinde, who has also served in the Mumbai Police, is currently part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Maharashtra government to investigate the Badlapur rape case.

Sanjay Shinde faced suspension and an inquiry after murder accused Vijay Palande escaped police custody, India Today reported. He was accused of aiding Palande's escape, as it was revealed that the two had known each other, and Shinde’s uniform was found in Palande's car.

In 2014, Shinde was reinstated by the Mumbai Police.

CID to investigate killing of Badlapur sexual assault case accused

Maharashtra's Crime Investigation Department (CID) will conduct a probe into the death of Akshay Shinde, news agency PTI reported.

A team of forensic science experts on Tuesday examined the police vehicle, in which Akshay Shinde was allegedly shot by the cop.

As the incident is concerning death in police custody, it will be investigated by the Maharashtra CID, a senior official said on Tuesday.

A team of CID officials will visit the spot at Mumbra bypass where the incident took place, he said, adding they will also record statements of police personnel who were in the vehicle at that time.

The CID officials will also record statements of Akshay Shinde's parents, he said.

Akshay Shinde's body was taken from the Kalwa civic hospital in Thane to the state-run JJ Hospital for post-mortem on Tuesday morning.

The post-mortem will be conducted in-camera in the presence of expert doctors, the official said.

Akshay Shinde's father Anna Shinde has demanded an inquiry into his son's killing.

His family members have challenged the police claim that he fired at a policeman first following which cops retaliated in self-defence, leading to his death.