Dabholkar killing: CBI recovers country-made pistol

The CBI has recovered a country-made pistol in Aurangabad in Maharashtra, similar to the one used in the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in 2013, and filed a complaint with the police against three people, officials said on Tuesday.

A khukri, three live rounds and a 7.65-bore pistol were recovered on the basis of leads given by Sachin Prakasrao Andure who was arrested recently by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), they said.

The agency has filed a complaint with the Aurangabad police against three people for allegedly possessing the country-made pistol, an illegal weapon, they said.

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The agency will send the pistol for ballistic examination to ascertain whether it was used in the killing of Dabholkar, they said.

The recovery was made following searches at houses of two friends and a relative of Andure, they said.

Andure, a resident of Aurangabad, was arrested on August 18. He is believed to be one of the shooters who fired upon Dabholkar in Pune on August 20, 2013 in broad daylight, the officials said.

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The fatal shot killed Dabholkar who had been running a campaign against superstition. The arrest was made on a tip-off from the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad after it had arrested three people in connection with a separate case of arms recovery.