Pune: Two Lawyers Among 8 Arrested For Gangster Sharad Mohol’s Murder By Own Gang Members For ‘Revenge’
Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 6th January 2024: Sutardara locality of Kothrud was rocked by the shooting of notorious gangster Sharad Mohol, who met his demise yesterday. The video of the incident caught by CCTV cameras, has gone viral on social media.
In a swift and cinematic turn of events, the Pune police managed to nab all the accused within a mere 8 hours, employing tactics reminiscent of a film script. Today, the Pune police held a press conference to share the thrilling details of the entire operation.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ramnath Pokle said, “The motive behind the killing unfolded as Sharad Mohol fell victim to three assailants, led by the main accused, Sahil alias Munna Polekar. Sahil, along with two accomplices, opened fire on the street, ending Mohol’s life. Notably, Munna Polekar, walking alongside Mohol, harbored personal enmity with the gangster, as did Sahil’s uncle Namdev Mahipati Kangude and another relative, Vitthal Kisan Gandle.”
Two lawyers, present in two cars during the incident, are under investigation to determine their involvement in the crime. “Polekar, a resident of the Sutardara area, had been tailing Sharad Mohol for the last 20 to 25 days, raising questions about the extent of his involvement”, added DCP (Crime Branch) Amol Zende.
The Kothrud Police Station has registered a case under IPC Sections 302, 307, 34 as well as relevant sections of the Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act. The incident had taken place around 1.20 pm in Sutardara, where Mohol lived. He was walking in the lane towards his house when the accused pumped three bullets from close range.
On the instructions of Police Commissioner Retesh Kumaarr to swiftly apprehend the accused, nine teams of the Crime Branch were formed by DCP Zende and ACP (Crime 1) Sunil Tambe. The teams were dispatched to Pune City, Mulshi, Satara, Pune Rural, and Kolhapur for the search operation.
Following confidential information from the Anti-Extortion Squad-2, the police tracked the accused’s getaway on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway through CCTV footage. The suspect’s vehicle was identified, leading the police to intercept it near Kikvi on Pune Satara Road. A nakabandi (checkpoint) was set up in key locations, including Khed Shivapur toll booth, Anewadi Toll Naka, Mahabaleshwar Phata, and Wai area. The police successfully arrested the suspects from their vehicle.
The arrested individuals include:
1. Sahil alias Munna Santosh Polekar, aged 20 years, residing in Shivshakti Nagar, Sutardara Kothrud Pune.
2. Namdev Mahipati Kangude, aged 35 years, residing in Bhugaon, Mulshi taluka, Pune.
3. Amit alias Agar Maruti Kangude, aged 24, residing in Swarajya Mitra Mandal area of Parvati, Pune.
4. Chandrakant Shahu Shelke, aged 22 years, residing in Janata Vasahat, Parvati, Pune.
5. Vinayak Santosh Gavankar, aged 20 years, residing in Paud, Mulshi taluka, Pune.
6. Vitthal Kisan Gandale, aged 34 years, residing in Shivkalyan Nagar, Sutardara, Kothrud, Pune.
7. Adv. Ravindra Vasantrao Pawar, aged 40 years, residing in Nandegaon, Mulshi taluka, Pune.
8. Adv. Sanjay Rambhau Udan, aged 43 years, residing in Bhusari Colony, Kothrud, Pune.
The accused were produced before a judicial magistrate court today. The two lawyers have been remanded to police custody till 8th January while remaining accused will be in custody till 10th January.
Police have seized a Swift car, a Mahindra XUV, 3 countrymade pistols used in the crime, 3 magazines, 5 live cartridges, 8 mobile handsets, and a substantial amount of cash totaling Rs 22 lakh.
The Crime Branch teams involved in the operation included Police Inspectors Pratap Mankar, Ajay Waghmare, Shabbir Syed, Srihari Bahirat, Mahesh Bolkotgi, Somnath Jadhav, Ulhas Kadam, Sunil Thopte, Krantikumar Patil, Assistant Police Inspector Abhijit Patil, Police Sub-Inspector Mohandas Jadhav, Srikant Chavan, Rahul Pawar, Rajendra Patole, Police personnel Chetan Shirolkar, Surendra Jagdale, Sachin Ahivale, Sangram Shingare, Saidoba Bhojrao, Amol Pilane, Amol Awad, Rajendra Landge, Ravidra Phulpagare, Duryodhan Gurav, Sayaji Chavan, Vijay Kamble, Pravin Dhamaal, Vijay Kamble, Rahul Makhare, Aniket Babar, Abhinav Ladkat, Shashikant Darekar, Dnyaneshwar Chitte, Sumit Takpere, Srikanth Dagde, Sai Karke, Krishikesh Takwane and Nitin Munde.
