Five held, minor detained for attack on Vanraj murder suspect’s brother

Pune: The Crime Branch of Pune city police late on Wednesday arrested five youths and detained a 15-year-old boy for allegedly opening fire at an autorickshaw driver — brother of one of the suspects arrested in former corporator Vanraj Andekar murder case — in Balajinagar in the morning.

Pune commissioner of police (CP) Amitesh Kumar said, “The suspects conducted a recce of the area and followed the autorickshaw driver for three days before attempting to kill him on Wednesday morning. The five accused and the minor acted on the directions of Suryakant alias Bandu Andekar (father of Vanraj). They wanted to avenge the murder of Vanraj.”

Former Pune Municipal Corporation corporator Vanraj was shot at and hacked to death on Sept 1, 2024, at Doke Talim Chowk in Nana Peth. Akash Mhaske, the brother of the autorickshaw driver targeted on Wednesday, was arrested from Madhya Pradesh in 2024 for allegedly supplying firearms to the assailants of Vanraj.

Five men riding on two motorcycles fired four bullets at the autorickshaw driver, Akshay Mhaske (26) from Ambegaon Pathar, after he stopped for breakfast near an eatery at Balajinagar in Dhankawdi on Wednesday morning. Two bullets hit him. Later, Mhaske was assaulted with sharp weapons. He is recuperating in a hospital.

The five youths arrested in the case have been identified as Avez Ashpak Shaikh (26) of Ganesh Peth; Aman alias Lala Farooq Bagwale (21) and Vedant Shrinivas Temgire (19) of Bhawani Peth; Rishiprasad Mohan Ambat (21) of Nana Peth and Aftab Sharif Sayyed (22) of Bhagyodaynagar in Kondhwa. They were produced before a city court on Thursday afternoon amid tight security and remanded in police custody till May 27. The police told the court that two billhooks and pistols allegedly used in Wednesday’s attack were yet to be seized.

CP Kumar said, “Shaikh led the group of assailants. He was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in 2021 and currently out on bail.”

He said, “After Vanraj’s murder, Shaikh went to Uttar Pradesh and stayed there for some time. Later, Andekar allegedly decided to use him to eliminate the family members of those arrested for Vanraj’s murder.”

Apart from the five arrested assailants, the police have registered a case of attempt to murder against alleged gang members Bandu Andekar, Krishna Andekar, Ramoji Andekar, Tushar Wadekar and Swaraj Wadekar.

A police team led by deputy commissioner of police (crime) Gauhar Hassan, and inspectors Ajit Jadhav and Ashwini Jagtap examined several CCTV footage clips and identified the suspects. The accused were not found in their houses. Their movements were later tracked to Malavli and then near the Karla caves, where they were apprehended.