3 held in in Nashik cab driver’s murder case

Pune: Three Nashik men, including two criminals on police records, were arrested on January 31, three days after cab driver Rajesh Gaikwad (56) was found murdered near Ale Phata on January 28. The Pune rural police investigations revealed that the trio and the kingpin of the group needed a car to execute their plot of robbing a jeweller. They robbed Gaikwad's cab on January 27 and murdered him on the way as he resisted them."They dumped GAikwad's body in the forest area near Ale Phata. Later, they dropped the idea of robbery and abandoned the car in the Kasara Ghat section," Pankaj Deshmukh, superintendent of police (Pune Rural), said.He said the local crime branch team, led by inspector Avinash Shilimar, and an Ale Phata police team, led by inspector Dinesh Tayade, arrested Vishal Chavan (22), Mayur Solase (23) and Ruturaj Sonawane (21) from Gangapur Road in Nashik, with the help of CCTV footage and a tip-off.Inspector Tayade said Gaikwad from Nashik worked as a temporary driver with a tour operator, who operated his cabs daily between Pune and Nashik. On January 27, he came to Pune. On the way back to Nashik, he gave a lift to two men in Chakan. Thereafter, his cellphone became unreachable. His body was found in the forest area on January 28. "We registered a case of murder and began the investigations," Tayade said.The officer said the CCTV footage in Chakan revealed that Gaikwad had given the lift to two men. One of them was wearing a white cap. "Our teams checked more CCTV footage and found that three more men were there with the man wearing a white cap," Tayade said.He said the car was found abandoned in the Kasara Ghat section of the Mumbai-Nashik highway. "We then focused our investigation in Nashik and got information about Chavan and one more suspect. We nabbed Chavan, along with Solase and Sonawane, on January 31. The main suspect is on the run."Chavan and Solase have a case of murder registered against them with the Nashik police. "The trio have been remanded in police custody till February 7," Tayade said. During the questioning, the trio identified Gaikwad's cab. "After driving some distance, one of the suspects threatened Gaikwad with a chopper. When he resisted them, they strangled him to death and dumped the body in Ale Phata," the officer said.Tayade said the suspects had abducted and robbed another cab driver near Chakan on October 17 last year. They tried to withdraw money from the driver's UPI, but he fled. "The suspects drove away with his cab and cellphone. A case of robbery was registered with the Chakan police the next day," Tayade said.Pune: Three Nashik men, including two criminals on police records, were arrested on January 31, three days after cab driver Rajesh Gaikwad (56) was found murdered near Ale Phata on January 28. The Pune rural police investigations revealed that the trio and the kingpin of the group needed a car to execute their plot of robbing a jeweller. They robbed Gaikwad's cab on January 27 and murdered him on the way as he resisted them."They dumped GAikwad's body in the forest area near Ale Phata. Later, they dropped the idea of robbery and abandoned the car in the Kasara Ghat section," Pankaj Deshmukh, superintendent of police (Pune Rural), said.He said the local crime branch team, led by inspector Avinash Shilimar, and an Ale Phata police team, led by inspector Dinesh Tayade, arrested Vishal Chavan (22), Mayur Solase (23) and Ruturaj Sonawane (21) from Gangapur Road in Nashik, with the help of CCTV footage and a tip-off.Inspector Tayade said Gaikwad from Nashik worked as a temporary driver with a tour operator, who operated his cabs daily between Pune and Nashik. On January 27, he came to Pune. On the way back to Nashik, he gave a lift to two men in Chakan. Thereafter, his cellphone became unreachable. His body was found in the forest area on January 28. "We registered a case of murder and began the investigations," Tayade said.The officer said the CCTV footage in Chakan revealed that Gaikwad had given the lift to two men. One of them was wearing a white cap. "Our teams checked more CCTV footage and found that three more men were there with the man wearing a white cap," Tayade said.He said the car was found abandoned in the Kasara Ghat section of the Mumbai-Nashik highway. "We then focused our investigation in Nashik and got information about Chavan and one more suspect. We nabbed Chavan, along with Solase and Sonawane, on January 31. The main suspect is on the run."Chavan and Solase have a case of murder registered against them with the Nashik police. "The trio have been remanded in police custody till February 7," Tayade said. During the questioning, the trio identified Gaikwad's cab. "After driving some distance, one of the suspects threatened Gaikwad with a chopper. When he resisted them, they strangled him to death and dumped the body in Ale Phata," the officer said.Tayade said the suspects had abducted and robbed another cab driver near Chakan on October 17 last year. They tried to withdraw money from the driver's UPI, but he fled. "The suspects drove away with his cab and cellphone. A case of robbery was registered with the Chakan police the next day," Tayade said.