The police on Saturday arrested the three men who were wanted in connection with the murder of Rakesh Pawar (34), a district-level cricketer, who was murdered near his Bhandup residence on Thursday night.
Pawar (34), a well known cricketer and coach, was accosted near the Mahavir Petrol Pump late on Thursday night, and was rushed to the Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, where he was declared dead before admission.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) Akhilesh Singh said Sohail Khan, his father Asif and friend Bhushan were arrested from locations in Mumbra and Bhiwandi with the help of human intelligence and technical analysis of data.
Suspicion had initially pointed at a female friend of Rakesh, who was with him on Thursday night and left from the spot just before he was attacked. The police, however, said that she was not involved.
“The lady's presence at the spot was only a coincidence,” senior police inspector Ramesh Khade, Bhandup police station said.
The motive behind the murder stems from a long-standing skirmish between the two families which began about a year ago, when Rakesh's brother Ravi was run over by Sohail’s bike.
“The incident was the beginning of a year-long enmity between the Pawars and the Khans, during which time there were multiple skirmishes between the two families. The Khans tried to harass the Pawars several times and the Pawars kept filing complaints against them,” Mr. Singh said.
“Sohail has a criminal record of various offences, including drug peddling. Apart from the Pawars, there have been others who have complained against him,” said Mr. Khade.