Vanraj Andekar’s sister, in-laws conspired to murder him, five arrested
Pune police arrested five suspects, including the sister and two in-laws, for the murder of former NCP corporator Vanraj Andekar, citing family and property disputes.
Pune City police on Monday arrested five suspects including the sister of the deceased, and two in-laws for allegedly murdering former NCP corporator Vanraj Andekar (38) in Nana Peth. According to officials, old rivalry within the family and property-related disputes are suspected to be the prime reasons for the murder. According to CCTV footage from the scene of the incident, Andekar and his cousin were standing near the Doke Talim area in Nana Peth at around 8:30 pm on Sunday when a group of 10-15 individuals brutally attacked Andekar. The attackers fired five rounds at him before assaulting his head with a koyta.
The prime accused have been identified as Jayant Laxman Komkar his wife Sanjivani Jayant Komkar, Ganesh Laxman Komkar, Prashant Komkar and Somnath Gaikwad. The Komkars are residents of Palkhi Vithoba Chowk, Bhavani Peth Pune.
The Komkar brothers were produced in the court and were granted police custody till September 9.
Vanraj, who served as corporator from undivided NCP between 2017 and 2022, died on the spot. When the assailants carried out the attack, there was no power in the locality, plunging the area into darkness. Following the incident, police scrutinised the CCTV footage from the area and made arrests within hours as multiple teams were formed to investigate the case.
Based on the complaint filed by Bandu alias Suryakant Andekar, the father of the deceased, the Komkar brothers were arrested in an operation led by senior police inspector Vijaymala Pawar.
Police suspect that Andekar’s sister with the help of Gaikwad hatched a plan to eliminate their brother. At the time of Vanraj Andekar’s murder, his sisters were in the gallery, loudly encouraging assailants to kill Andekar.
The deceased is the son of Bandu Andekar, a key member of Andekar gang in Pune.
Ranjan Kumar Sharma, joint commissioner of police said, “We have arrested five persons, including a sister of the deceased and two in-laws, in connection with the attack. Though the immediate trigger is yet to be probed, the primary investigation hints at an old enmity and family and property-related disputes.”
Immediately after the attack, a team from Samarth police station and the crime branch rushed to the spot. Andekar was shifted to the nearby private hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. The entire incident was recorded on CCTV cameras installed in the locality.
Accordingly, a case has been filed at Samarth police station against Sanjivani Jayant Komkar, Jayant Laxman Komkar, Prakash Jayant Komkar, Ganesh Laxman Komkar, Somnath Sayaji Gaikwad, Aniket Dudhbhate, Tushar alias Aba Kadam, Sagar Pawar, Pavan Kartal, Sam alias Sammer Kale and five others under BNS sections 103(1), 61(2) and sections 3(25), 4(25) of the Arms Act, section 37(1), (3) 135 of the Maharashtra Police Adhiniyam and section 7 of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act.