Pune: Somnath Gaikwad suspected to be main conspirator behind Vanraj Andekar murder

Pune: Shocking revelations have been made in NCP former corporator Vanraj Andkar murder case. The accused hatched a conspiracy to kill him. The incident on Sunday (September 1) was a well-planned execution.

The accused were snooping on Vanraj for one-and-a-half months. The sequence of events leading to the murder is as follows:

The attack plan

According to details revealed during the police investigation, the assailants were watching every move of Vanraj Andekar for one-and-a-half months. Three pistols were used in the attack. Somnath Gaikwad, Aniket Dudhbhate and Jayant Komkar hatched the conspiracy. Gaikwad gave all details of the assault to Dudhbhate.

The attack was planned on Sunday afternoon and Andekar was killed at night. Dudhbhate mobilised other assailants. Then he came to Nana Peth, along with them. He fired bullets at Andekar and also attacked him with a sickle. The accused also decided the escape route after the incident. They arrived and escaped on two-wheelers.

18 arrested till date

The police arrested 18 accused till date. Initially, five of them were held. They included Andekar’s two sisters, two brothers-in-law and Somnath Gaikwad. These accused are in police custody. Later, the Pune Police arrested 13 accused from Tamhini in Raigad district on Tuesday (September 3). Many of them are minors. It is suspected that Gaikwad is the main conspirator.

Somnath Gaikwad’s role in the murder

The police suspect Somnath Gaikwad to be the main accused in the incident. They are interrogating him. In October 2023, Gaikwad’s accomplices Nikhil Akhade and Shubham Dudhbhate were attacked with sickles and screwdrivers. Akhade was killed in the attack. To avenge this killing, Gaikwad hatched the conspiracy, along with Sanjivani, Prakash and Ganesh Komkar. Vanraj had disputes with his two sisters and brothers-in-law. Their shop was razed during an anti-encroachment action. They suspected the action to be Vanraj Andekar’s handiwork. They had threatened to kill Vanraj.