Ranjangaon Murder Case: Five Arrested for Killing Worker Mistakenly for Intended Target; Rs 5 Lakh Supari Alleged
Pune, 6th October 2026: The Pune Rural Police have arrested five persons in connection with the murder of a 39-year-old worker at Karegaon in the Ranjangaon police station limits. According to the police, the victim, Hamza Usman Sheikh, was allegedly shot dead after being mistaken for another man, Vikas Navle, who was reportedly the intended target of a contract killing.
The case was registered at Ranjangaon Police Station under Crime Register No. 463/2026, under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Arms Act, 1959. The FIR was registered on September 29, 2026, following a complaint by the victim’s wife, Avitabai Hamza Sheikh, 37.
According to the complaint, Hamza Sheikh, originally from Dhanora Kale in Parner taluka, was residing in a rented room in the Karegaon-Sainagar area under Shirur taluka. He was working for Vikas Navle and would regularly leave for work. On the day of the incident, an unidentified person allegedly fired a bullet at Hamza’s head, killing him on the spot.
Investigation leads police to five accused
Taking the seriousness of the murder into account, senior police officials directed the Local Crime Branch and Ranjangaon Police Station to jointly investigate the case. Police teams examined CCTV footage from the incident spot and roads leading to and from the location, while technical analysis was also carried out to identify the suspects.
The investigation led to the arrest of the following five accused:
1. Sarthak Sandesh Kohakde, 24, resident of Karegaon, Shirur, Pune
2. Tushar Ajay Todkar, 26, resident of Peth, Ambegaon, Pune
3. Santosh Madhukar Manjare, 37, resident of Manjarevasti, Khed, Pune
4. Vitthal Navnath Pikle, 27, resident of Koregaon, Khed, Pune
5. Yogesh Vilas Edhale, 28, resident of Shukrawar Peth, Washim district
Property dispute allegedly behind contract killing
According to the police investigation, Sarthak Kohakde and Vikas Navle, who lived in the same area, allegedly had a dispute over a piece of land.
Police allege that Kohakde planned to eliminate Navle and allegedly gave a supari to Tushar Todkar to carry out the murder. Todkar allegedly approached Santosh Madhukar Manjare, described by police as a habitual offender and externed criminal from Pimpri-Chinchwad, and allegedly gave him the contract to kill Navle.
Manjare allegedly then conspired with Pavan Suresh Hundare and Pruthvi alias Bhaiya Dattu Jadhav, along with Vitthal Pikle and Yogesh Edhale, to execute the killing.
However, according to the police, the assailants mistakenly identified Hamza Usman Sheikh as Vikas Navle. They allegedly fired at Hamza’s head, killing him, while the actual intended target, Navle, was not present at the spot.
The investigation reportedly revealed that the accused had planned the murder at the plot where they believed Vikas Navle would be present. Police said the victim was ultimately killed due to mistaken identity.
Search on for two more accused
While five accused have been arrested, police said the search for Pavan Suresh Hundare and Pruthvi alias Bhaiya Dattu Jadhav is still underway.
The case is being investigated under the supervision of Special Inspector General of Police Rajankumar Sharma, Kolhapur Range; Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill; Additional Superintendent of Police Dr. Shubham Kumar; and Shirur Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ravindra Bhasale.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Local Crime Branch officials and Ranjangaon Police Station Inspector Kumar Kadam, along with the concerned police teams.
Police said further investigation is underway to establish the complete sequence of events, the roles of all accused and the circumstances surrounding the alleged contract killing.
