Pune: Was Vanraj Andekar murder a contract killing? (Videos)
Pune: Somnath Gaikwad, an accused in the Vanraj Adekar murder case, got bail and walked out of jail in April this year. He used to have occasional tussles with the Andekar gang. Gaikwad feared that the gang would kill him. So, he decided to break the backbone of the Andekar gang by killing Vanraj.
Gaikwad was purportedly planning his moves for the past one-and-a-half-months. Finally, when he got the opportunity on Sunday night, his accomplices eliminated Vanraj.
The Andekar gang is notorious in the city’s underworld. However, Vanraj was distancing from it and established himself in politics. He was elected as a corporator on the NCP ticket. However, preliminary investigation revealed that past enmity, family dispute and property could be the motive behind his murder.
According to the complaint lodged by Vanraj’s father, the murder appeared to be a result of a family dispute. However, gang domination could be a motive behind the crime, said the police. Somnath Sayaji Gaikwad is a rival of the Andekar gang. He has a gang and is out on bail after his arrest under MCOCA charges. Gaikwad and some of his gang members were the targets of the Andekar gang. Therefore, he may have thought that before the Andekars could harm them, they would shock the Andekar gang. This is being investigated. The police detained Gaikwad for interrogation.
The police said that Gaikwad played an important role in the Vanraj murder. In October 2023, Nikhil Akhade (29) was killed while Aniket Dudhbhate was seriously injured in an attack in Nana Peth. The Andekar gang was allegedly involved in it. Later, Bandu Andekar, Krushna Andekar and their accomplices were arrested. Akhade and Dudhbhate were Gaikwad’s close aides. Gaikwad was deeply disturbed due to this. He wanted to avenge the killing.
The Andekar gang members used to abuse Gaikwad and his aides. They would threaten to kill them. Therefore, Gaikwad was upset. Dudhbhate was also waiting for an opportunity to settle the score. Gaikwad planned the killing and Dudhbhate executed the plan. Initially, they wanted to eliminate Bandu and Krushna Andekar. However, they realised that their murders would not weaken the gang. Gaikwad was once a member of the Andekar gang and knew its pitfalls.
Gaikwad perceived Vanraj as the backbone of the Andekar gang. Vanraj used to provide support to gang members by arranging for their bail and free them from jail. Hence, Gaikwad thought it futile to kill others, said the police.
Therefore, Gaikwad made a meticulous plan. He snooped on Vanraj for over a month and told his accomplices to position themselves at certain places. Gaikwad was at Ambegaon Pathar when Vanraj was murdered. As he came to know about the successful execution of his plan, he escaped outside the city. A Crime Branch team detained him from Tembhurni.
Many shocking revelations were made during his interrogation. Somnath Gaikwad and Suraj Thombre, rivals of the Andekar gang, were lodged in jail under the MCOCA. Since Thombre was the main accused in the related case, he did not get bail, Gaikwad got it but was banned from entering the city while granting bail.
Though the police detained him, he is denying his role in the murder. However, he admitted that he knew that Vanraj would be killed. Prakash Komkar, Somnath Gaikwad and Sanjivani Komkar were arrested and would be produced before the court.
