Navi Mumbai cop murder: We fear for our lives, want case fast-tracked, says Bidre’s family

The family of assistant police inspector Ashwini Bidre, 37, who has been missing since April 2016 and is believed to have been murdered, demanded on Thursday that the state government transfer the case to a fast-track court and complete the trial urgently as their lives may be under threat once the accused get bail.

Speaking to media at CBD Belapur, her brother Anand Bidre said: “The people arrested in the murder case have started applying for bail. Once they are out on bail, they could do anything to tamper evidence. As the main accused is a police officer, he may adopt different tactics to harm us. If the accused are out on bail, it may be a threat to our lives, so the government should transfer the case to a fast-track court.”

On April 11, 2016, Bidre, who was posted with the Protection of Civil Rights Unit at Konkan Bhavan in Belapur, told the watchman at her apartment complex in Kalamboli that she was going home so the milkman should not leave milk for the next couple of days. She was allegedly murdered the same day by inspector Abhay Kurundkar, 52, with whom she was having an affair. Arrested in December 2017, Kurundkar is said to have hacked her body into pieces and thrown it into Vasai creek. Between December 11, 2017, and February 27, the police arrested four more people and added murder charges against all accused on March 1. However, three attempts to trace her remains have failed.

On Thursday, Bidre’s family also made three other demands from the state government. “We want assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Sangeeta Shinde Alphonso to supervise the investigation till the end.”

Though the Navi Mumbai crime branch is investigating the case, Alphonso was appointed by the chief minister’s office to supervise the investigation because of her expertise in cybercrime. Initially, she was appointed for three months, but her tenure was extended later by one more month.

Explaining why they want Alphonso attached to the case, Bidre said: “Crime branch ACP Nilesh Raut, who is also at the helm of the investigation, is retiring in a few months’ time. If Alphonso also gets transferred from the case, there will be new officers who are not well-versed with the nitty-gritties of the murder, and that could be detrimental for the investigation. So Alphonso should supervise it till the last court hearing.”

Second, the family wants Ujjwal Nikam to be the public prosecutor of the case.

Lastly, they want the government to look into Navi Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale’s role in the incident, as he has allegedly not been forthcoming about the case with them or the media.

Despite repeated attempts, Alphonso and Nagrale were not available for comment.