Kalyan court has directed the additional commissioner of Thane police for East Region to change the investigating officer (IO) in the case involving the alleged murder of gangster Naresh Pahalajani alias Naresh Chaddi. The order came days after the deceaseds family appealed for the probe to be handed over to a new IO, accusing the current one of protecting the accused. First Class Judicial Magistrate of Kalyan court IAS Qureshi on Monday directed additional CP Datta Karale to remove divisional Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Kalyan, Anil Powar from the case and appoint an officer of the same rank to lead the investigation. Chaddi was found dead in mysterious circumstances in his flat on February 2, 2016, and the Khadakpada police registered an accidental death report despite the familys allegation that he was murdered. Police finally filed a murder case against accused Congress corporator Godhumal Kishnani, his son Pravin Kishnani and Chaddis caretaker Ravi Valecha on February 29, 2020. ACP Powar, in his application, had told the court that he came to the conclusion that the FIR was registered due to misunderstanding of circumstances. "There is no sabotage... but the deceased might have fallen on sofa and due to his body weight, he suffocated himself and in result died due to asphyxia but at that time there was no intoxicating substance [poison] in his body," Powar had concluded in the closure report. Need further probe Rejecting Powars closure report, the magistrate observed, "In such a scenario, the conclusion drawn by the Investigating Officer... is not appealing to my mind." "I am of the view that considering the nature of the offence along with evidence collected by the investigating officer, there is a need for further investigation. Officer in-charge of Khadakpada police station is directed to conduct further investigation... and the additional commissioner of police of Kalyan division is directed to change IO Anil Powar and appoint a new officer of the same rank for further investigation," the order read. "I have not received any order from court till now," Powar told mid-day. Additional CP Karale did not respond to mid-days calls and messages for comment. Commenting on the developments, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said, "The cases need to be thoroughly investigated by an investigating officer and no muscleman can influence the police force in Maharashtra. And if any police officer is found shielding an accused, strict action will be taken against that officer." "I will take stock of the progress report in this case. And if the [investigating] officer [ACP Anil Powar] is found protecting the accused, he will have to face the legal consequences," he assured. Keep scrolling to read more news Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates. Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Stay updated with all the Latest Thane headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.