Behind Pune Ex Corporator's Chilling Murder, A Dispute With His 2 Sisters

The shock attack in Pune that killed former corporator Vanraj Andekar may have been the result of a dispute with his sisters and their husbands, police have found. Mr Andekar's sisters Sanjeevani and Kalyani, and brothers-in-law Jayant and Ganesh have been arrested following a complaint by Mr Andekar's father Bandu Andekar.

According to reports, the accused believed that Vanraj Andekar had, during his term as a corporator of Pune Municipal Corporation, ordered anti-encroachment action against a shop they owned. The siblings had a spat last morning, hours before Mr Andekar was attacked by bike-borne men carrying sickles and firearms.

"Four accused have been arrested. They are the victim's sisters and brothers-in-law. The FIR names 10 people and mentions five unnamed accused. Our teams are looking for the other accused. According to preliminary information, the incident took place due to a property dispute. Several issues have to be looked into and the probe will reveal the facts," said Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Joint Commissioner of Police.

"We received a complaint yesterday morning that said the two sides had a heated exchange. Since it was a family matter, they were counselled and sent home. And then this incident took place at night. The matter is being investigated and the probe will confirm if this was the reason behind the attack," he added.

The FIR, he says, mentions that during the spat in the morning, one of the sisters screamed, "kill him." The senior cop says this information, too, is being investigated.

Mr Andekar was killed in a chilling attack in Pune's Nana Peth area last night. Visuals captured by a CCTV camera show at least 12 men on six two-wheelers reach Mr Andekar's premises. They are seen brandishing firearms. The former corporator was alone at the time.

"Five rounds were fired at Vanraj Andekar. He was also attacked with long-blade sickles. He was brought dead to KEM Hospital. According to primary information, Andekar suffered multiple sharp weapon injuries," said Joint Commissioner of Police Sharma, adding that the detailed autopsy report will provide the full picture.

The matter is being investigated by the Pune crime branch. Mr Andekar was a corporator before the Pune civic body was brought under the state government-appointed administrator. He was a member of the Ajit Pawar-led camp of NCP.