Padgha firing case: ‘He shot them only after asking for their names’

The parents and relatives of the Padgha firing victims are not buying the police theory that the killer cop tried to loot the motorcycleborne men Instead they have accused senior officials of Thane Rural Police of suppressing the actual matter of a hate crime The relatives said that Azim Aslam Sayed and Firoz Rafiq Shaikh were fired at by the constable only after he learned that both the men were MuslimSuraj Devram Dhokare stopped them near Ambadi Naka and told them that his father was asthmatic and he needed directions to reach Bhiwandi at the earliest The policeman who was alone on a motorcycle requested that they help him reach the hospital at the earliest So Azim and Firoz asked him to follow themrdquo said Wasim the elder brother of Azim who succumbed to the bullet injuries on SundayAzim Aslam Sayed who was shot dead by the accused Firoz Rafiq Shaikh the victim who had to be hospitalised after the attack PicHanif PatelAccording to Wasim after following the duo for nearly 12 km Dhokare asked them to stop their scooty as he wanted to answer naturersquos call ldquoSoon after he opened fire on themrdquo Wasim said Prior to his death on Sunday afternoon Azim gave a statement to Padgha police saying that soon after they stopped the masked man inched closer to them and asked for their names After hearing their names he took out a pistol tucked in his trousers and opened fire on them ldquoThis is similar to the incident where one RPF constable killed Muslim passengers inside a trainrdquo Wasim addedldquoThe first bullet injured Azimrsquos right hand and passed through the abdomen area Still he managed to escape to a safe place But Dhokare chased him down and fired again injuring his thigh Though he was limping he covered 15 km from the spot Meanwhile Firoz sustained one bullet wound and fell into a nearby nullahrdquo he saidBy now Azim had called his relatives to inform them about the attack ldquoWe contacted our friends who reached the spot and located both of them They were first rushed to a nearby clinic and then taken to Sion hospitalrdquo Wasim said adding that the police had not arrived when he reached the spot and it took them three to four hours to get there ldquoAfter scanning the call logs of my brotherrsquos phone we learnt that he had also called the Police Control Room and ambulance for help But none of them arrived on timerdquo Azimrsquos father Aslam said ldquoThe cops told us that Dhokare tried to rob them but he didnrsquot take a single penny from them Azim was wearing a silver bracelet and silver ring and carrying around Rs 15000 in cashrdquoThe copturnedbandit in police custody PicHanif PatelWhen team midday visited Azimrsquos house in Virar his mother Salima broke down seeking justice for her son ldquoWe are innocent peoplehellip we live a handtomouth existence The constable who killed my son must meet the same fate His children must also become orphans like ourshelliprdquo said the grieving mother Meanwhile Rafiq the father of Firoz who is battling for his life said that Dhokare must have figured out that the men were Muslims as they had beards ldquoHe asked for their names just to be surerdquoAccording to Rafiq no government representative or politician has visited them so far ldquoSenior police officers came to the hospital and told us that they had arrested the accused What difference does that make to us How does his arrest serve our purpose It was not a robbery attempt gone wrong but a hate crimerdquo he said adding that they donrsquot accept the police theoryAzimrsquos aunt Shamim said ldquoIf the killer constable was in debt of Rs 42 lakh why did he not kill himself using the same gun The cops are saying he is mentally unstable and thatrsquos why he opened fire Had any Muslim done this he would have been branded as a terrorist they would have tried to establish his links to Pakistan The Thane Rural Police is just trying to suppress the matterrdquoMeanwhile Azimrsquos maternal uncle Shaikh Mukhtar questioned why Dokhare was carrying a pistol and why the cops were not saying who it belonged to ldquoEven if we accept the theory is there anyone who approached Dhokare to give a contract to kill Azim and Firoz to neutralise the huge debt We want a clear picturerdquo he said Azimrsquos younger brother Nadeem said the government must compensate the family as it was ldquoan irreplaceable lossrdquoCalls and messages sent to Padgha police incharge Sanjay Sable and Superintendent of Thane Rural Police Vikram Deshmane went unanswered Sources at Padgha police station told midday that Dhokare works in a firearm repairing unit with Mumbai Police Quick Response Team QRT ldquoThe firearm he used was sent for repair at the office but he brought it home without letting anyone knowrdquo a source said adding that Dohkarersquos wife is also in the police department posted at the Thane police headquarters Azim and Firozrsquos families are planning to stage a protest march at Padgha police station if timely justice is not delivered and the actual story behind the attack is not revealed0930 pmTime of incident on FridayEightNo of rounds killer cop fired