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Suspect arrested in murder of admin manager in Wakad
The arrested suspect has been identified as Sharad Gautam Gharad (36), a resident of Kalewadi, who works as a driver
The Crime Branch Unit 4 of Pimpri-Chinchwad police on Saturday arrested a man in connection with the murder of Shanu Rafiq Mohammad Shaikh, an admin manager with a private company.
The arrested suspect has been identified as Sharad Gautam Gharad (36), a resident of Kalewadi, who works as a driver. Police are currently on the lookout for the prime accused, Giridhar Walmik Rede, a native of Khed.
According to the police, Shaikh was a resident of Vile Parle in Mumbai and worked with a private company based in Vadodara. His employer had recently taken over operations at a unit in Tathawade and had sent him there to review the facility.
Shaikh visited the site on July 17, but did not return to work the following day. Repeated calls from the company went unanswered, prompting them to alert his family. A missing person complaint was filed at the Wakad police station, and on July 19, his body was found in the Bhima riverbed at Perne Phata.
Arvind Pawar, senior inspector with Crime Branch Unit 4, said, “During the investigation, we analysed technical data which led us to Sharad Gharad. He had contacted Shaikh on the night of July 17. He was subsequently arrested.”
According to Pawar, Gharad’s phone was used by Rede to call Shaikh. The trio had dinner together that night, and during a drunken altercation over a petty issue, Rede allegedly struck Shaikh on the head with a stone, killing him. The body was then dumped in the Bhima River.
Police said Shaikh and Rede were colleagues in the same Vadodara-based company. The exact motive for the murder is yet to be established. Officials said further details will emerge once Rede is arrested.
