Raigad police crack murder of railway crossing guard

The police have successfully identified the accused who shot the railway crossing gateman ater two weeks of investigations

Navi Mumbai

Raigad police crack murder of railway crossing guard

After more than two weeks, the Raigad police have identified the accused who shot the railway crossing gateman at Raigad. Though the accused is still at large, the police have found crucial evidence that indicates that the estranged husband of the victim’s sister was the one who shot him dead over a property dispute.

The victim identified as Chandrakant Satu Kamble (53) was found dead in his cabin near the railway crossing at Kolad in Raigad district on August 21 by a passerby. After he alerted, Kamble was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival. A dog squad and forensic team reached the spot for further investigations. There was no CCTV coverage in the area and hence the police could not find any footage of the crime then.

“When a person is shot dead, it is usually personal revenge. We were investigating the personal enmity angle. There seemed to be no one in his social circle and professional circle who had issues with him. We then stumbled upon his sister’s estranged husband with whom he had a long-standing dispute over a property,” police inspector Balasaheb Khade from Local Crime Branch said.

“Around eight teams were formed to investigate the case and finally we have identified the accused. We will soon arrest him,” said Raigad Additional Superintendent of Police Atul Zende. The accused has been identified as Vijay Ramesh Shetty, husband of Kamble’s sister.

In the year 2019, Shetty had met Kamble’s sister Vimal and after a brief affair, they got married to each other. “After few months into the marriage, Shetty purchased a house in Kolad where the couple stayed. After a few more months, his wife left him and filed for divorce, the proceedings are still ongoing in a local court. Meanwhile, Shetty planned to sell the house in Kolad. Kamble told Shetty that since he was taking care of his sister, he would have to share the sale amount with him. Shetty did not want to share the amount and had frequent fights with Kamble over the same. We also found that Shetty was a co accused in a double murder of year 2000 registered with Panvel City police,” Khade said. Shetty used to stay in Pune as well as Uran. During a search of the Kolad house, the police found duplicate number plate of a two-wheeler, a stolen bike parked near the house and some more crucial evidence that indicated that Shetty was involved.

“Later we found the CCTV footage wherein the accused is seen using the same stolen bike near the crime spot on the day of the incident. He is on the run and we have deployed four teams to find him,” Khade added.