Bakery owner survives murder attempt after assailant’s pistol malfunctions

A bakery owner in Kashimira, Mumbai escaped an attack on his life when an armed assailant's pistol malfunctioned. Police are investigating the motive.

MUMBAI: A bakery owner in Kashimira miraculously escaped an attack on his life after coming face-to-face with an armed assailant on Friday who pulled the trigger thrice but his pistol malfunctioned.

Bakery owner survives murder attempt after assailant’s pistol malfunctions

At 10.30am, when the owner Chandrakant Kodgole opened his store - International Bakery located near the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, a man wearing a helmet barged into his shop, threatened him and then pulled the trigger. The Kashimira police officials are yet to ascertain the motive behind the attack.

Police officers said Kodgole was at his shop along with a cleaning assistant when the incident occurred. When Kodgole raised an alarm, the accused fled from the bakery.

Mohammed Tafzin, who was doing the cleaning work in the shop at that time said, “I had opened the door of the shop and went towards the cashier counter to clean that space when a man entered the shop. Later, when I looked at the bakery owner Kodgole, he told me that the man had pointed a gun-like object at him and fled when he could not fire,” said Tafzin, who was not aware that the man was carrying a pistol.

After checking the CCTV footage, they saw that the man was holding a pistol after which they informed the police.

“Since the man was wearing a helmet, the CCTV of the shop could not capture his face but we are trying to ascertain the identity of the accused,” said Jaywant Bajbale, deputy commissioner of police (Mira Road).

The police are recording the statements of Kodgole and the other staff members to find out the possible motive behind the attempt to murder the bakery owner. “We are checking to find out if Kodgole had a financial dispute or personal enmity with anyone which could be the reason behind the attempt on his life,” said a police officer from Kashimira police station.