12-year-old boy shot dead at baby shower in Ambernath near Mumbai

Three people have been arrested in the case, while the police are looking for a fourth suspect, who remains absconding

A 12-year-old boy was shot dead at a baby shower on Wednesday. Three people, Atish Ashok Gaikwad, 25, Ashish Ashok Gaikwad, 21, and Kabir Naresh Gaikwad, 30, have been arrested in the case, while the police are looking for a fourth suspect, Satyajit Naresh Gaikwad, 26, who remains absconding. All of them, including the boy, Pratik Bhaskar Gaikwad, live in the same locality in Ambernath. At the time of going to press, the police were still investigating the motive for the shooting.

Pratik Bhaskar Gaikwad was a Class 6 student. (HT PHOTO)

On Wednesday, around 2pm, Pratik was attending a baby shower with some friends and family members near a temple in Ambernath (East). The four suspects were also part of the celebrations and had been drinking, the police said.

“Satyajit fired three rounds from a country-made revolver. He fired two rounds in the air and a third directly at Pratik, fatally injuring him on the chest,” a police officer said, on condition of anonymity. Pratik was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead, the police said.

The police said the four suspects then destroyed CCTV footage in and around the area, before running away. One of the suspects, Kabir, however, was at the hospital where the boy was taken and told the police the whereabouts of the other three, the police said. While the police found two others, Ashish and Atish, in the next village, Satyajit remains absconding.

“We are yet to confirm if the gun had a licence,” said Gulabrao Patil from Shivaji Nagar police station.

The police suspect Satyajit was the one who fired the gun, while the other three were picked up for destroying evidence, although none of them have confessed to the police about who fired the gun.

“We found alcohol bottles from the spot. The three arrested have undergone medical tests and we await the results. We have filed a case under section 302 (punishment for murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence or giving false information to screen offender) of 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant sections of the Arms act and Mumbai Police Act,” said D Godbole, senior police inspector from Shivaji Nagar police station.