Pune: A shocking incident of murder came to light in the Kondhwa area in Pune on Saturday where a man named Ganesh Kale was shot dead in broad daylight. The firing took place in a busy locality on the road leading to Khadi Machine Chowk, which is always bustling with the public. A total of four bullets were fired and Ganesh Kale died on the spot.
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After he was hit with bullets all over the body, he was also attacked with a koyta. Eyewitnesses said that the assailants did this to make sure Kale was dead, and then they ran away.
According to preliminary information given to the media by police, the deceased, Ganesh Kale, was reportedly the brother of Sameer Kale. Sameer Kale is one of the accused in the high-profile Vanraj Andekar murder case, which happened in September 2024. The connection has raised serious questions about whether the shooting was an act of revenge or a fallout of an ongoing gang rivalry.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) Dr Rajkumar Shinde, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, âThe incident took place around 3:25 p.m. near the petrol pump at Khadi Machine chowki. Acting on the incident, police reached the spot. Ganesh Kale was an auto driver and was going towards Khadi Machine Chowk.â
âMeanwhile, two people on two motorcycles came from behind and shot 4 rounds at Kale, after they attacked his head with Koyta, leading to the death of Kale at the spot. Against Ganesh Kale, a case was registered in the Kondhwa police station. The police are analysing the CCTV footage of the petrol pump and other areas. The matter is under investigation; soon the goons will be arrested. Forensic and 10 teams of local police have been formed and are investigating the matter,â DCP Dr Shinde told The FPJ.
The firing led to chaos and panic in the forever bustling Kondhwa area. Police immediately rushed to the spot and began the investigation. Kondhwa Police are investigating the matter further.
Incident Related To Vanjaj Andekar Murder Case?
In the evening of 1st September 2024, in the Nana Peth area of Pune, former corporator Vanraj Andekar (aged 40) was shot dead by a group of assailants near his residence. The attack involved firearms and sharp weapons, and CCTV revealed a coordinated bike-borne hit. A motive identified by police included a mix of internal family property disputes (Vanraj had a feud with his sister, who is married into the Komkar brothersâ family) and gang rivalry (between the Andekar Gang, led by Vanrajâs father, Suryakant âBanduâ Andekar, and a rival group under Somnath Gaikwad).
Among the 21 accused named in the huge 1,700-page charge sheet were Vanrajâs sister Sanjivani Komkar, her husband Jayant, Ganesh Komkar (another brother-in-law), and gang associates, including one called Sameer Kale (aka Sam Kale).
Following that, on 5th September 2025, in Nana Peth, an 18-year-old youth, Ayush Ganesh Komkar (son of Ganesh Komkar), was shot dead in what police describe as a revenge killing for Vanrajâs murder.
In response, authorities arrested multiple members of the Andekar gang, invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), and began asset seizures and demolitions of illegal structures linked to the gang.
