Nagpur: A Crime Branch team on Monday arrested Deepak Athpade Patil, the alleged accomplice of Sumedh Gajbhiye who had died in police custody last week after being assaulted by a mob on allegations of armed robbery.
Athpade Patil, a first-year MCA student, was nabbed from Ghewrai village in Beed district, nearly 550 km from Nagpur, where he was allegedly holed up after fleeing Nagpur on the day of the incident, said police. Sumedh had one case of burglary against him in 2017.
Police said Athpade Patil, having no crime record, had accompanied Sumedh in the robbery for fast money. Before collapsing, Sumedh had named ‘Deepak Patil’ as his accomplice. Athpade Patil was tracked down after Crime Branch officials, led by senior inspector Sanjivani Thorat, obtained the mobile number of Gajbhiye, whose handset had been missing since the incident. As per police, Athpade Patil and Sumedh had allegedly attempted to enter the house of the Dharmik family at Modern Mill Society in Prithviraj Nagar, within Beltarodi police station limits. The duo allegedly wore uniforms of food delivery partners to conceal their identities and robbed an elderly woman of her gold chain at knifepoint. They fled after the family raised an alarm, but residents caught and assaulted Gajbhiye. His condition deteriorated at the police station and he was shifted to Govt Medical College and Hospital, where he was declared dead. Call records and phone data subsequently supported his claim that he was delivering food at the time, and no involvement was established.
Police had earlier detained another person named Deepak Patil after his name appeared on a food-delivery company list.
Sources said Athpade Patil was a crucial link and potential witness in the inquiry being conducted by State Crime Investigation Department (CID) into the alleged custodial death.