Accident footage points to murder and conspiracy
PIC: MANOJ BIDKAR
Husband of Narhe village sarpanch was mowed down on March 13 in what looked like an accident till date; five of the accused held
In a shocking revelation, a 52-year-old man, who was supposed to have died in a road accident, is now being seen as amurder victim, thanks to CCTV footage that has just come to light. Balasaheb Vanshiv, the husband of the current Narhe gaon sarpanch, was reportedly mowed down by an unknown car on March 13 on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway. Initially the incident was reported as an accident, but the case has turned into well-planned criminal conspiracy leading to murder when CCTV footage disclosed that Vanshiv was murdered by the husband of the sarpanch’s rival candidate as he failed to accept defeat in the election.
Bharati Vidyapeeth police submitted an investigation report to this effect in the court of additional sessions judge SR Tamboli on Wednesday. The report has spelled out the entire conspiracy that is supported by CCTV footage and call details of the accused showing their presence on the spot.
Though the incident was reported as an accident initially, Minakshi, Vanshiv’s wife and the current sarpanch of Narhe, had doubts and therefore she went to the spot along with her 17-year-old son Nayan. They got CCTV footage from three hotels on the highway. They saw that the car which hit Vanshiv was moving around the spot suspiciously. It was clearly seen in the footage that at the time of the incident the car came slowly and when it reached Omkar Lodge it increased its speed and hit the deceased.
Elaborating on the incident Minakshi Vanshiv (50), the complainant and sarpanch of Narhe gram panchayat, told Pune Mirror, “Everything was unexpected and shocking for us. My husband sustained grievous injuries on his head, lost his left eye and also sustained multiple fractures on his upper body. I was sitting outside the ICU and so many thoughts came into my mind. I was sure that this could not be an accident, therefore I went to the spot and I checked some CCTV footage. I was shocked to see the accused in the car. I immediately rushed to the police station and informed them.”
“We have a land dispute pending since 2006. My husband had made an application to the circle officer for not taking entries regarding the plot. The circle officer then issued notices to our relatives, including the main accused Avinash Kamble. However, my husband did not pursue the issue. But I never thought that they will kill my husband in this way.”
The terror did not stop after the incident as Minakshi has been making rounds of the police commissioner’s and district collector’s offices with a demand for police protection. The family is in a fear that they could be targeted again by the accused. In her letter to the police commissioner and district collector she has stated that there is a threat to her and her children’s life from the accused.
“I have been facing lot of difficulties since I have been elected sarpanch of Narhe gram panchayat. My husband’s murder is part of the issue. I am worried about my children.,” she added.
The Bharati Vidyapeeth police have arrested Bhushan Ranwade (30), Prashant Pujari (30), Sandeep Patil (31), Jay Harale (23), Rohit Pawar (30) and they have been booked under section 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and also under relevant sections of Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Avinash Kamble (39) and Nitish Thopte (30) are still absconding.
Speaking to Pune Mirror advocate Pushkar Durge, who is representing Minakshi Vanshiv, said, “According to the police report submitted by the then assistant commissioner of police VP Nandedkar, the motive of the murder is political rivalry and land dispute with Avinash Kamble. The report has clearly stated that Avinash’s wife had lost the election and therefore he held a grudge against the complainant. Bhushan is the former sarpanch and has a political hold in the village. He was also not happy with the results. The Kambles are relatives of Vanshiv and there is a land dispute pending between them for long.”
“The CCTV footage shows the entire conspiracy as they were seen making rounds of the spot. Later they were found having drinks in a hotel together and in the last part they were spotted clearly in the car hitting Vanshiv from behind. The court has rejected bail applications of Ranwade and Harale,” advocate Durge added.
A day before the incident all the accused hatched the conspiracy of murder and they had a meeting in Jay’s house. They kept watch on Vanshiv and came to the spot at 2 am. The car belonged to Rohit Pawar. According to their plan Bhushan Ranwade and Prashant Pujari would stay in Narhe and Jay will stay at his house. Avinash was driving the car and Nitish Thopte was seated next to the driver. Sandip and Rohit were seated at the back of the car. The accused made three rounds of the spot to make sure that Vanshiv was at the spot. The accused had removed the number plate of the car, so that nobody could identify them.
In a shocking revelation, a 52-year-old man, who was supposed to have died in a road accident, is now being seen as a
(Top left) Minakshi Vanshiv with her deceased husband’s photo; (above) the spot of the ‘accident’
Bharati Vidyapeeth police submitted an investigation report to this effect in the court of additional sessions judge SR Tamboli on Wednesday. The report has spelled out the entire conspiracy that is supported by CCTV footage and call details of the accused showing their presence on the spot.
On March 13, Vanshiv went out for his morning walk with his friend Prakash Tilekar at 4.45 am. When he came near Omkar Lodge a car hit him from behind. He was immediately admitted to Bharati Vidyapeeth Hospital. He was in the intensive care unit of the hospital for 11days but was declared dead on March 24, 2019.
Though the incident was reported as an accident initially, Minakshi, Vanshiv’s wife and the current sarpanch of Narhe, had doubts and therefore she went to the spot along with her 17-year-old son Nayan. They got CCTV footage from three hotels on the highway. They saw that the car which hit Vanshiv was moving around the spot suspiciously. It was clearly seen in the footage that at the time of the incident the car came slowly and when it reached Omkar Lodge it increased its speed and hit the deceased.
Elaborating on the incident Minakshi Vanshiv (50), the complainant and sarpanch of Narhe gram panchayat, told Pune Mirror, “Everything was unexpected and shocking for us. My husband sustained grievous injuries on his head, lost his left eye and also sustained multiple fractures on his upper body. I was sitting outside the ICU and so many thoughts came into my mind. I was sure that this could not be an accident, therefore I went to the spot and I checked some CCTV footage. I was shocked to see the accused in the car. I immediately rushed to the police station and informed them.”
“We have a land dispute pending since 2006. My husband had made an application to the circle officer for not taking entries regarding the plot. The circle officer then issued notices to our relatives, including the main accused Avinash Kamble. However, my husband did not pursue the issue. But I never thought that they will kill my husband in this way.”
The terror did not stop after the incident as Minakshi has been making rounds of the police commissioner’s and district collector’s offices with a demand for police protection. The family is in a fear that they could be targeted again by the accused. In her letter to the police commissioner and district collector she has stated that there is a threat to her and her children’s life from the accused.
“I have been facing lot of difficulties since I have been elected sarpanch of Narhe gram panchayat. My husband’s murder is part of the issue. I am worried about my children.,” she added.
The Bharati Vidyapeeth police have arrested Bhushan Ranwade (30), Prashant Pujari (30), Sandeep Patil (31), Jay Harale (23), Rohit Pawar (30) and they have been booked under section 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and also under relevant sections of Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Avinash Kamble (39) and Nitish Thopte (30) are still absconding.
Speaking to Pune Mirror advocate Pushkar Durge, who is representing Minakshi Vanshiv, said, “According to the police report submitted by the then assistant commissioner of police VP Nandedkar, the motive of the murder is political rivalry and land dispute with Avinash Kamble. The report has clearly stated that Avinash’s wife had lost the election and therefore he held a grudge against the complainant. Bhushan is the former sarpanch and has a political hold in the village. He was also not happy with the results. The Kambles are relatives of Vanshiv and there is a land dispute pending between them for long.”
“The CCTV footage shows the entire conspiracy as they were seen making rounds of the spot. Later they were found having drinks in a hotel together and in the last part they were spotted clearly in the car hitting Vanshiv from behind. The court has rejected bail applications of Ranwade and Harale,” advocate Durge added.
A day before the incident all the accused hatched the conspiracy of murder and they had a meeting in Jay’s house. They kept watch on Vanshiv and came to the spot at 2 am. The car belonged to Rohit Pawar. According to their plan Bhushan Ranwade and Prashant Pujari would stay in Narhe and Jay will stay at his house. Avinash was driving the car and Nitish Thopte was seated next to the driver. Sandip and Rohit were seated at the back of the car. The accused made three rounds of the spot to make sure that Vanshiv was at the spot. The accused had removed the number plate of the car, so that nobody could identify them.
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