Mumbai: A sessions court issued an open-dated arrest warrant against alleged gang leader Kumar Pillai in connection with a 2007 shooting that left one man dead and another seriously injured. While Pillai had previously been extradited from Singapore a decade ago to face charges in three other cases, police recently discovered that he remained a “wanted” accused in a 2007 case involving charges of murder and attempted murder. The prosecution argued that Pillai’s arrest is needed for further investigation. It was also submitted that because he has ties abroad, a formal proposal must be made to the Government of Singapore.The crime took place in 2007 at Vikhroli where several men allegedly fired on a complainant and his associates using a foreign-made pistol. The attack resulted in the death of Sunil Magade and the attempted murder of Shashank Ahire. Three other accused—Amit Bhogle, Anil Pandey, and Silvaraj Pillai—were previously tried for the crime. Pandey died during the trial, and the remaining two were acquitted in 2017.
During the proceedings, the prosecution submitted that though Pillai had been dealt with in other cases, this specific investigation remained open.In the order, the judge noted that the chargesheet clearly identifies Pillai as an absconding party who acted in furtherance of a common intention with the other accused. “The Police Authorities wanted to arrest the accused and conduct further investigation against him. Therefore, considering the facts and circumstances of the case, it is necessary to issue a warrant of arrest against accused Kumar Krushna Pillai,” the judge said. The court further observed the severity of the allegations, noting that the suspects are accused of using lethal firearms to carry out the assault. In the final order, the judge said, “Issue open dated warrant against accused Kumar Krushna Pillai…..” Pillai, an engineer who was once alleged to be a gang leader, has moved seeking to return to Hong Kong. Having been cleared of all criminal charges for over a year, Pillai had formally approached a special court to request repatriation to the place he identifies as his true home country.
