The Kondhwa Police have arrested three accused in connection with the brutal murder of rickshaw driver Ganesh Kale, who was shot and attacked with a sickle in broad daylight. The court has remanded all three accused to police custody till November 7 for further investigation.
The arrested accused have been identified as Aman Mehboob Shaikh (23), Mayur Waghmare (23), Arbaaz Ahmed Patel (24) and two minors - Kakade Vasti, Kondhwa - have been detained. Till now, nine people have been booked in the case, including Bandu Andekar, Krishna Andekar, Swaraj Wadekar, Aamir Khan and two minors.
According to the information received, Ganesh Kale’s murder was planned by the Andekar Gang six months back in jail itself, and goons had kept watch on Kale for the last six months. Finally, on Saturday, the main accused, Arbaaz, Aman, and their aides attacked Ganesh Kale while he was heading towards Khadi Machine Chowk and murdered him brutally in broad daylight.
About the incident
According to the police, on Saturday, around 3:30 pm, near the Bharat petrol pump at Khadi Machine, four assailants arrived on two motorcycles and opened fire on Kale before attacking him with a sickle, killing him on the spot. The Kondhwa police arrested three suspects later that night and detained one minor in connection with the crime.
During the remand hearing at the holiday court, Police Inspector Navanath Jagtap informed that the attack was carried out on the directions of Bandu Andekar and Krishna Andekar. After committing the murder, the accused fled the scene towards Khed Shivapur via Katraj, abandoning one of their motorcycles at the spot. Based on CCTV footage, the police traced and arrested them and seized two pistols from their possession.
Investigations revealed that Arbaaz Patel is a habitual offender with six serious criminal cases registered against him. He had previously been externed (tadipaar) and was also subjected to preventive detention under the MPDA (Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act). Mayur Waghmare has two prior cases against him, while Aman Shaikh has one.
Police are yet to recover the sickle and motorcycles used in the crime and are probing who instructed them to carry out the murder and whether others were involved. The court remanded the trio to police custody till November 7.
Ganesh Kale was the brother of Sameer Kale, who is currently in jail for involvement in former corporator Vanraj Andekar’s murder. Sameer allegedly brought the pistols used in the Andekar murder from Madhya Pradesh, leading to him being on the radar of the Andekar gang.
As per sources, the mastermind behind the murder was Aamir Khan, who is currently in Kolhapur Jail in the Nikhil Akhade murder case. The Aamir Khan gang is associated with the Andekar Gang, who took responsibility for murdering Ganesh Kale. Accordingly, Aamir ordered Aman to kill Ganesh Kale. Rs 40,000 was arranged by Shaikh to bring a pistol from another state. Mayur Waghmare is the one who properly planned and executed the serious crime.
Nikhil Pingale, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “A dedicated team of the crime branch has kept watch on the supporters of the gang. Even a few social media handles are also on the radar. Action will be taken soon on the other members of the gang who are willing to create terror.”
DCP Raj Kumar Shinde said, “On behalf of Krishna Kale (father of deceased Ganesh Kale), nine people have been booked, of which three accused have been arrested. The three arrested accused are seen to be involved in Kale’s murder as per the CCTV footage and local people standing there at the time of the incident. Gangster Bandu Andekar is also accused in the case. In the initial interrogation, many facts have come to the fore. The matter is under investigation and will accordingly be disclosed. Where they got the illegal gun is part of the investigation, and action will be taken. Pune Police is always there to curb crime and maintain law and order.”
