Narco-analysis test conducted on gangster Palande, his aide

Palande and his associate Dhananjay Shinde have been charged with the murder of a small-time actor's father Arun Tikku and aspiring film producer Karan Kakkad. They are suspected to be involved in the killing of a third person whose skull was recovered during the probe of the twin murders.

The test lasted for a few hours during which at least 70 questions related to the murder of the unidentified person were asked, a Crime Branch official told PTI.

In the narco analysis test, it becomes difficult for a person to lie and his answers would be restricted to facts he is already aware of. Recently, brain mapping and polygraph tests were also conducted on the duo, but nothing substantial came out of them as the two were not forthcoming about certain questions pertaining to the third murder, he said.

Crime Branch officials had on April 16 recovered a skull at Kumbhari Ghat near Chiplun in adjoining Ratnagiri district where Palande had allegedly dumped Kakkad's remains.

While DNA tests confirmed that the torso found at the site was Kakkad's, the skull did not match his DNA.

Subsequently, police sought permission from the court to conduct a narco test on Palande and Shinde to help establish identity of the person whose skull was recovered. The permission was granted recently.

From bloodstains found in Kakkad's residence in suburban Andheri, police suspect the duo is involved in the third murder.

Experts had retrieved DNA of two persons from bloodstains in Kakkad's bathroom. One was Kakkad's and the other matched the skull. This raised suspicion that the accused had killed another person in Kakkad's house and dumped his body in the ghat. (more)