According to the police, Patni was shot dead in front of his hotel Al Hamam in Dongri on December 11, 1995. Syed Irfan Syed Ahmed, who was a receptionist at the hotel, saw five to six persons while two of them whipped out revolvers and shot Patni at point blank range. Irfan had identified the threeThere were six accused in the case allegedly belonging to Arun Gawli gang: Khalil Ahmed Abdullah Parkar, Prakash Waman alias Pakya, Robert Patrick Newman, Sharad Bandve, Sada Pawle and Suresh Yende. While Khalil, Pakya and Robert were arrested by the police shortly after the incident, Bandve is still absconding. Pawle and Yende were later killed.