Thane: Ten days after a police constable allegedly shot a man dead and injured another in a firing incident near Padgha in Thane district, the police on Monday said that it was only a robbery bid and nothing else. The cop intended to rob the two men... It was not in any way a hate crime, superintendent of police (Thane rural) Vikram Deshmane said at a press conference. He added that the arrested cop had been in deep debt. The family of the two Virar residents who were fired at — Azim Sayyed (30) who died and Firoz Shaikh (27) who has been injured — had expressed suspicion that it was a hate crime. To buttress their allegation, they had said that the cop, Suraj Dhokare (37), had asked the two men their names before firing at them.The family had asked why the cop had not robbed any valuables, if robbery were indeed the motive. The police clarified on Monday that they had taken the familys allegation seriously, but said that their probe has shown that the cop was unable to steal anything from the two men as some vehicle had passed that way and his bike broke down due to which he fled without robbing the two.The police said that the accused cop had lost money in online gaming apps and had run up a debt of Rs 62 lakh by way of loans availed from loans. He had been getting calls from the banks representatives for repayment of the loans after which he planned the robbery, the district police chief said.He added that the accused cop had tried to commit robbery twice recently. But he says he could not loot anyone... We doubt his claim and are verifying it, the officer said.The accused cop, posted as armourer in Mumbai polices Quick Response Team, was arrested in Ahmednagar on October 15. We also published the following articles recentlyHate crime? Sikh teen assaulted in New York: PoliceA 19-year-old Sikh was assaulted in New York for wearing a turban. The incident occurred on a shuttle bus in Queens when the attacker asked the victim to remove his turban, claiming it was not worn in the country. The assailant then repeatedly punched the teen before leaving the scene. The victim suffered minor cuts but is expected to recover. The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime.Biker shot by masked cop dies, family asks why open fire after asking nameAzim Sayyed, one of the victims shot by a debt-ridden policeman while allegedly attempting to rob them, has died at Sion Hospital. His cousin, Firoz Shaikh, is recovering. The incident occurred when the cousins were asked for directions by a masked man on a motorcycle. The man followed them before asking them to pull over, at which point he opened fire. The attacker, Suraj Dhokare, was later arrested. The victims families are suspicious of the polices claim that it was a robbery attempt, as no money was taken.Biker shot by masked cop dies, family asks why open fire after asking nameAzim Sayyed, one of the victims shot by a debt-ridden policeman during an alleged robbery attempt near Padgha in Bhiwandi, has died. The other victim, Firoz Shaikh, is recovering. The cousins were stopped by a masked man who followed them for 12km before asking them to pull over. After revealing their names, the man opened fire, hitting Sayyed twice and Shaikh once. The attacker fled the scene. The families of the victims suspect that the police are hiding something, as they question why the assailant immediately shot at them after hearing their names.

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