CBI team recovers pistol in Thane that may be linked to Narendra Dabholkar's murder

A team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was searching for the murder weapon in activist Narendra Dabholkar case, has recovered a pistol from a creek in Thane here, sources said.

According to CBI sources, the weapon was recovered from the bottom of the sea with the help of special equipment but the probe agency is yet to ascertain if it is the same weapon used for Dabholkar's murder.

The weapon will now be sent for a Ballistic examination to ascertain whether the same is connected to the murder, sources said.

The probe agency had in November last year filed a supplementary chargesheet against accused Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave in Pune sessions court in the murder case.

While Punalekar is already out on bail, Bhave is presently lodged at Yerwada Jail in Pune. The two were arrested by the CBI on May 25 last year.

Founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), Dabholkar was shot dead by bike-borne assailants while returning home from a morning walk on August 20, 2013.