Avinash Bali (also known as Avinash Solanki), key witness and the complainant in the case double murder of Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandes in 2011 has been found murdered in MIDC area at Chakala in Andheri. He had been missing for 24 hours before the body was found. The identity of the body has been confirmed and investigations are underway.
Keenan and Reuben along with their friends, including Avinash Bali had objected to the accused passing lewd remarks at the women in their group as they stood at a paan shop after dinner together. Avinash Bali had slapped Jitendra Rana. Angered, the accused went away and returned with a group of people armed with knives, sticks and cricket stumps and attacked the group. Keenan Santos was fatally injured and died soon after, while Reuben Fernandes died in intensive care later.
Avinash had taken charge and rushed his friends to hospital. He followed up on the case with the police and was the complainant. The accused were both remorseless as well as unafraid after being identified and arrested. There were reports of intimidation of witnesses and political connections of the accused. Police personnel who had come to investigate the chawl where the accused lived were attacked by residents in one instance.
Previous posts summarizing reported news on the case:
http://aamjanata.com/uncategorized/facts-of-the-murder-of-keenan-and-reuben/
http://aamjanata.com/nation/law-and-order-politics/developments-in-the-keenan-and-reuben-case-2/
While the government promised “fast tracking” the case in the face of public anger, Jitendra Rana, Satish Sulah, Sunil Bodh and Deepak Piwal were convicted and given life imprisonment in the case in 2016.