Police announce Rs 5 lakh reward for leads on Pansare’s killers

The Kolhapur police on Sunday announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone who can provide information about communist leader Govind Pansare’s killers.

The Kolhapur police on Sunday announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone who can provide information about communist leader Govind Pansare’s killers.

Pansare succumbed to bullet injuries late on Friday, five days after he and his wife Uma were shot at in Kolhapur by motorcycle- borne assailants, while returning home from their morning walk. The police have so far not been able to achieve a breakthrough in the case.

Struggling for clues, the Kolhapur superintendent of police announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh, adding that the name of the informer will be kept confidential.

Investigating officers have seized a motorcycle, which they think might have been used in the attack. The bike, which does not have a registration number, was found by Kolhapur resident Rajendra Patil, who saw it lying in the middle of the road near Pansare’s home in Sagarmala, minutes after the communist leader was shot at.

Patil first clicked pictures of the bike and then alerted the police, who later seized it.

“I saw the bike lying unattended and called up the police control room,” said Patil.

Based on the information shared by witnesses, investigators have prepared four sketches of the assailants.
Investigation officers, however, have not yet released the sketch because the police have been unable to record the statement of the prime witness in the case, Uma Pansare.