EXCLUSIVE|History-sheeter killed in Worli spa had tattooed names of enemies, say Mumbai Police

Guru Siddappa Waghmare

The Worli police, while investigating the July 23 murder of a 52-year-old alleged extortionist, learnt that the deceased, Guru Siddappa Waghmare, had tattooed the names of 22 people on his thighs, suspected to be his enemies or who held grudges against him similar to Aamir Khan's character in the 2008 film Ghajini.

One of the names Waghmare had tattooed was that of Santosh Sherekar, the owner of Soft Touch Spa in Worli, who has been arrested for hiring hitmen to kill Waghmare and promising them Rs 6 lakh for the job. Due to his lifestyle, Waghmare was also known as Chulbul Pandey. Officers have also said that the deceased had been blackmailing the spa owner for a long time. The latter, frustrated by this, devised the murder plan over the past two months. Several previous attempts to eliminate Waghmare had failed, sources have revealed.

"During the initial probe, we learned that multiple plots to eliminate Waghmare had failed. There was a plan to kill him on July 17, his birthday, but it did not succeed. On July 23, he was still celebrating his birthday at a bar in Sion and was drunk; the killers were supposed to eliminate him there but didn't get the chance. Similarly, he later went to the Worli spa, where the plan was finally executed."

The first ten names of Guru Siddappa Waghmare's enemies, which were tattooed on his thigh

According to the police, the deceased used to extort money from several people, often by filing RTI applications, impersonating a journalist and working as a police informer to carry out raids on bars and other establishments. "He had tattooed the names of 22 enemies on his thighs, some of whom were his family members. It appears he felt threatened by these individuals. One of them turned out to be his killer," an official said.

Four taken into custody

Apart from the Worli Police, the Mumbai Crime Branch's Unit 3 has taken four individuals into custody from Nalasopara and Kota in connection with the murder. Of the quartet, two have been arrested, while two others are being questioned. Police sources revealed that one of the arrested individuals is Mohammad Firoz Ansari, a 26-year-old apprehended from Nalasopara. Another suspect, Saqib Ansari, was arrested in Kota. According to the police, Waghmare became enemies with Firoz Ansari after providing information that led to a raid and subsequent closure of his spa a year ago. "In response, Ansari and Santosh Sherekar hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Waghmare. Saqib Ansari came from Delhi, and both had been tracking Waghmare's movements for the past ten days," said Datta Nalawade, DCP, detection.

Day of the murder

Waghmare, a resident of Vile Parle, reportedly attended a party on July 23 in Sion with a female friend and three employees from the Worli spa where she worked. After the party, Waghmare and his friend returned to the spa. An official stated that after the party in Sion at Aparna Bar, the group reached the Soft Touch Spa at around 12.30 am. Around 2 am the three spa employees left the premises. Subsequently, two unknown assailants, who were suspected to be hired by the spa owner, entered the spa by opening the shutter and slit Waghmare's throat with a sharp weapon. In an attempt to defend himself, Waghmare injured his hands.

The incident came to light the following day when Waghmare's friend, Mary, informed the spa owner, who then contacted the Mumbai police control room. Police reported receiving the information at 1.45 pm on July 24, after which they arrived at the scene and began questioning the spa employees and Waghmare's friends. "Within a few hours after the incident was reported to us, we arrested the spa owner and are probing the matter," said Krishnakant Upadhyay, DCP, Zone 3.

Prolific diarist

Officials have revealed that they found a diary in which the deceased had meticulously recorded his activities, including providing information to the police, filing RTIs, and participating in raids. He used a red pen to document bad experiences, a green pen for positive events and a blue pen for everyday occurrences.