Navi Mumbai: The murder of councillor’s husband Mangesh Sadashiv Kalokhe alias Appa (45) in Khopoli town of Raigad district has been confirmed to be a contract killing, with police revealing that a Rs 20 lakh supari was allegedly given due to personal and political rivalry. So far, 12 accused, including key conspirators, hired killers, a woman intermediary and a juvenile, have been arrested in the case.
12 Accused Arrested Including Conspirators and Intermediary
Kalokhe, the husband of newly elected Shiv Sena councillor Manasi Kalokhe, was brutally hacked to death on December 26, around 7 am near a bar in the Vihari area of Khopoli, shortly after he dropped his daughters at Shishumandir School. Police said the assailants chased him, pinned him to the ground and attacked him with sharp weapons such as a sword, sickle and axe, killing him on the spot.
The arrested accused have been identified as Ravindra Parshuram Deokar (main conspirator), Darshan Ravindra Deokar, Dhanesh Ravindra Deokar, Urmila Ravindra Deokar, Vishal Subhash Deshmukh, Mahesh Shivaji Ghaytadak, Sagar Raju More, Sachin Dayanand Kharade, Dilip Haribhau Pawar and Omkar Krishna Magar, along with Isha Papa Sheikh (46), who allegedly acted as an intermediary, and a juvenile in conflict with law, Sachin Sandip Chavan. Police said some of the accused were directly involved in the fatal attack, while others allegedly helped the main conspirators by providing logistical support and assisting them in evading arrest after the crime.
Police revealed that Ravindra Parshuram Deokar allegedly masterminded the murder and arranged the contract killing through Isha Papa Sheikh, who connected him with hired attackers Adil Mukhtar Sheikh and Khalid Khalil Qureshi, along with another associate. Five assailants allegedly carried out the murder after keeping surveillance on Kalokhe’s movements.
Police Investigation and Operations
Given the politically sensitive nature of the case and the public outrage that followed, Raigad Police formed eight special teams to trace the accused. Police arrested nine accused within 24 hours of the murder, while subsequent operations led to the arrest of three more, taking the total number of arrests to 12.
Raigad Superintendent of Police Anchal Dalal said the case was treated on priority. “The murder had triggered serious public outrage. We assured the family and citizens that the accused would be arrested at the earliest. Multiple police teams worked round the clock using technical inputs, forensic evidence and human intelligence to uncover the conspiracy and arrest the accused,” Dalal said.
Case Registration and Oversight
The case has been registered at Khopoli Police Station under Sections 103(1), 61(2), 189, 190 and 191 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Arms Act. All arrested accused are currently in police custody remand.
The investigation is being carried out under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police Abhijeet Shivthare and Sub-Divisional Police Officer Vishal Nehul, with teams from Khopoli, Khalapur, Rasayani and Neral police stations and the Raigad Local Crime Branch involved.
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