Eatery owner murdered over minor dispute; four arrested

One and a half months ago, there was a dispute between the deceased and the accused over dancing during a wedding procession, said police

The Bharati Vidyapeeth police on Sunday arrested four persons in connection with the fatal attack on a 24-year-old man in Katraj. The incident allegedly stemmed from a dispute over dancing during a wedding procession in Velhe taluka.

The incident was reported on Saturday at around 1:30 am on the service road near Shivshrusti Chowk. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

The incident was reported on Saturday at around 1:30 am on the service road near Shivshrusti Chowk. Police said the deceased, Tejas Dattatraya Pilane, a resident of Mohannagar, Dhankawadi, who owns eatery and cake shops in Sinhgad College premises, was on his way with staff member to drop him at home on a motorcycle after closing the shops.

When they were intercepted by a group of people, and after verbal abuse, they made a brutal attack on Pilane by using sharp weapons, in which he died on the spot. Sensing danger after spotting sharp weapons, the pillion rider fled the spot.

Bharti Vidyapeeth police station got information about the incident on their control room call, and their team rushed to the spot. He was rushed to the nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.

After technical data analysis and analysis of CCTV footage in the locality, the police arrested Vishal Dattatraya Khopade, 22, Abhisekh Dilip Khopde, 23, both of whom are from Velhe, Sachin Harishchandra Dhule, 43, from Katraj, and Adinath Shivaji Kasabe, 19, from Mangadewadi.

Rahulkumar Khilare, senior police inspector at Bharti Vidyapeeth police station, said, “One and a half months ago, there was a dispute between the deceased and the accused over dancing during a wedding procession in Velhe taluka. The accused and victim are cousins, and because of old disputes, on Saturday, the accused made a brutal attack on the victim, in which the victim died.”

“After the attack, all the accused escaped from the spot. But with the help of technical analysis, Bharti Vidyapeeth Police arrested all the accused involved in this case within 10 hours after the incident was reported,” said Khilare.

A case has been filed under sections 103(1) 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).