Ex-deputy mayor’s son held for giving contract to attack VBA leaders

Former deputy mayor's son arrested for hiring hitmen to attack Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi party's youth wing president and a party worker in Mumbai.

MUMBAI: The police on Thursday arrested the son of a former deputy mayor of Panvel for hiring hitmen with a ₹5 lakh contract to attack Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) party’s youth wing president and a party worker in Parel last month.

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“We have arrested Siddhant Gaikwad and he is remanded to police custody till June 27 by the Bhoiwada Metropolitan Magistrate court,” said a police officer. Gaikwad was on the run after the attack.

The police have earlier arrested four attackers from Byculla, identified as Rajesh Hathankar, Nazir Sayyed, Saakib Qureshi and Akash Yadav.

“They revealed that Parmeshwar Ransoor, 36, the youth wing president of VBA and Gautam Haral, 31, a VBA member, had gheraoed former deputy mayor, Siddhant’s father, Jagdish Gaikwad in Chunabhatti two months ago and hence, Siddhant wanted to take revenge,” said the police officer from Bhoiwada police station.

According to the police, Jagdish had allegedly made some objectionable remarks about Prakash Ambedkar three months ago which enraged the VBA members, and they confronted him and gheraoed him and only after Chunabhatti police intervened he was allowed to go.

Siddhant had allegedly hired four attackers and given a contract of ₹5 lakh to teach a lesson to Parmeshwar Ransoor and Gautam Haral, the officer said. They had specifically asked to break his legs.

According to the police, the incident took place in the last week of May when five members from VBA, including the victims, met in Parel and were discussing the arrangement regarding a party rally to be organised on June 3. The victims have been identified as Gautam Haral, 37, a resident of Asalfa, Ghatkopar and Parmeshwar Ransoor, 36, the Yuva president.

Haral told the police that four unknown persons approached them, removed iron rods as well as knives and started assaulting Ransoor. The police thereafter registered an attempt to murder case.