MUMBAI: Expanding their investigation into the alleged clash between two groups of NCP, police have seized three revolvers belonging to former party MP Sanjay Dina Patil and his bodyguards and would examine if shots were fired from them as alleged by the rival faction led by Nawab Malik.
Police have arrested three more persons since last night in connection with the incident that took place in Deonar in east Mumbai on November 29, taking the total number of persons in police custody to seven.
"As allegations (of firing) were made by NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik, we have seized three revolvers of Sanjay Dina Patil and his two bodyguards. We have sent them to forensic science laboratory to ascertain whether bullets were fired from them," a police official said today.
According to sources, police are struggling to get concrete evidence in the case, apparently due to political nature of the case. Meanwhile, it has also come to the fore during the probe that the CCTV cameras installed inside the hall where the incident took place were removed two days prior, the official said.
The members from the two rival groups of NCP had clashed on Tuesday night during a meet in a hall at Deonar and some of them reportedly brandished weapons, police had said. The altercation broke out after supporters of Malik and Patil began shouting slogans against each other.
Malik, the NCP spokesman and former MLA from Anushakti Nagar, had alleged that Patil resorted to firing at the event and he was "injured" in the attack by sword-wielding supporters of the latter. He had also claimed that Patil's bodyguards fired two rounds to scare him.
However, Patil, president of NCP's North East Mumbai district unit, rejected Malik's allegation and claimed that it was he who was attacked with swords when he was coming to attend the meeting. Earlier, police had arrested four persons in connection with the clash. Police had registered an offence against Malik and Patil.