Pune rural police have formed six teams and deployed more than 50 personnel to trace the assailants who attacked Rana Suryawanshi, head of Rana Shipping Company, near Baramati airport on Sunday evening. The police are examining CCTV footage and investigating the motive behind the attack, which involved an alleged attempt to shoot Suryawanshi before he was assaulted with a sharp-edged weapon.
The attack took place at around 7.30 pm when Suryawanshi was near the airport. According to preliminary information, the assailant approached him with a flower bouquet, apparently under the pretext of welcoming him, before launching the attack. The bullet reportedly missed Suryawanshi but he sustained an injury to his hand in the subsequent assault. He was shifted to Pune for further treatment and admitted to a private hospital, where he was kept under observation.
Chaitanya Kadam, sub-divisional police officer (Baramati division), said that the police have formed five to six teams, each comprising 10 to 15 personnel, to identify and arrest the accused. “Prima facie, it appears that the accused fled towards Palkhi Mahamarg after the attack,” Kadam said.
The police have recovered a pistol, a bullet and a sattor (sharp-edged weapon) from the crime scene. The local crime branch and personnel from the concerned police station are examining CCTV footage to establish the movements of the assailant before and after the attack.
Suryawanshi had been provided Y-category security, with police protection vehicles accompanying him. However, some of the vehicles were reportedly behind him when the attack took place. The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
{{/usCountry}}Suryawanshi had been provided Y-category security, with police protection vehicles accompanying him. However, some of the vehicles were reportedly behind him when the attack took place. The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
{{/usCountry}}This is not the first attack on Suryawanshi. In September last year, his car was intercepted on Akkalkot road in Solapur district on the pretext of an accident following which, unidentified assailants attacked him. He was reportedly saved by his personal bodyguard. Security was subsequently provided to him.
Land dispute angle under scrutiny
The attack has drawn attention to allegations concerning a land transaction involving the family of former probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar. However, the police said that they have not established any link between the alleged dispute and the assault on Sunday.
RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar, in a social media post on Monday, alleged that the case is complex and referred to a complaint by Amit Darade of Baramati who had accused the Khedkar family of threatening him and his family over a ₹1.5 crore land deal in Waghalwadi village of Baramati taluka.
According to Darade’s complaint to Pune rural police, a 14-guntha plot owned by Dilip Khedkar was agreed to be sold to Dilip Sopanrao Suryawanshi, father of Rana Suryawanshi, for around ₹1.5 crore. Darade alleged that ₹1.455 crore was paid in cash, but the registered document reflected a transaction value of only ₹18 lakh. He further alleged that Dilip Khedkar demanded an additional ₹25 lakh and threatened him.
The plot also figures in the first information report (FIR) in the disproportionate-assets case against Dilip Khedkar.
However, Kadam said that investigators have not found evidence linking the land dispute to the attack.
“We are investigating the case from all angles, and as of now, nothing of that sort has come up during the investigation,” he said.
Sule questions law and order
Nationalist Congress Party/NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar/SP) MP Supriya Sule, who represents Baramati, criticised the state government over the incident, questioning the state of law and order.
“The news of gunfire targeting Rana Suryavanshi, the owner of Rana Shipping Company, in the vicinity of Baramati airport is extremely shocking. Fortunately, he has survived it and is currently receiving treatment,” Sule said.
She said that the incident reflects a deteriorating law and order situation, alleging that criminals are carrying out shootings and escaping while the home department is unable to prevent such incidents.
“The public lives in fear, and it seems like criminals have been given free rein,” she said, urging the home department to take immediate note of the incident, arrest the attackers, and implement concrete measures to ensure citizens’ safety.
The police said that the investigation is ongoing and the motive behind the attack remains unclear.