In a shocking incident, a 40-year-old civil contractor and material supplier was shot dead by three bike-borne assailants in broad daylight on Thursday near Talavali Village in Rabale. The incident happened around 2.30 pm when very few persons were on the road. The spot is hardly 10 minutes away from Rabale police station.
The deceased has been identified as Pravin Tayade. And, the business rivalry is believed to be one of the reasons behind his murder. Police said that after firing the bullet, all three accused fled on the bike.
According to the police, Tayade was riding a scooter while his associate was pillion rider when three bike-borne assailants came from behind and hit his two-wheeler. Tayde fell in the middle of the Talavali village junction in Ghansoli, after which one of the assailants shot at his head and fled from the spot along with others.
Police said Tayde was a civil contractor and also supplied construction material in Talavali area. He was also having a project in sector 21 in Ghansoli. “A lot of construction is going on Ghansoli area and Tayde was supplying material to several projects and this incident may be a cause of business rivalry,” said a police official from Rabale police station. He added that his associate, the pillion rider also received an injury and he has been admitted to the hospital. He received an injury due to falling from the scooter.
Meanwhile, the Rabale police registered a case of murder against unknown persons and started the investigation. “The investigation is at a very initial stage and it will be difficult to say much at this moment,” said Police inspector Tukaram Nimbalkar who was present at the spot after the incident.