'Daddy' aide shot in broad daylight

The shocking murder of Akhil Bharatiya Sena's district president Shekhar Waghmare comes on the eve of party president Arun Gawli's birthday. Is there a hidden message for 'daddy'?

The police have detained five persons in connection with the murder of Akhil Bharatiya Sena (ABS) District President Shekhar Waghmare (35), who was shot dead in broad daylight yesterday. Two of them have been identified as Shashi Pandurang Tavare and Suresh Ghumare.



Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Dnyaneshwar Phadtare said, "We will get the names of others later today."

Around 11 am, unidentified assailants shot Waghmare, a resident of Indrayani Nagar in Alandi, as he was driving towards Simla Chowk in his Maruti WagonR.

ABS President Arun Gawli had plans to celebrate his birthday in prison on Saturday. Had he not been shot, Waghmare would have been part of the celebration.

Vehicle traced
The suspects, who were in a red Maruti Zen, abandoned the car near Pandav Nagar after a 'nakabandi' was held across the city.

"We suspect that the assailants who were chasing Waghmare intercepted his car near Sakhar Sankul and shot at him from point blank range," saidu00a0 Phadtare. "As news spread, a nakabandi was held during which the assailants' vehicle was traced."

Waghmare's wife, Savita, said her husband left home in a hurry after receiving a call around 9 am. "He said he was going to Shivajinagar and would proceed to Lonavala," said Savita.

"The person who called up was quarreling with him and he went to the terrace to continue the conversation," said Waghmare's son, Raj, a Standard XI student.

Builders involved?
"Waghmare had protested against two city builders ufffd Rajesh Bansal and Vaswani for allegedly grabbing a 1.5-acre plot in Wadgaon Sheri," said ABS city president, Nitin Pawar.

"Bansal had lodged a police complaint in June, alleging Waghmare demanded Rs 12 lakh in connection with a land deal," said Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anant Shinde. "He, however, refuted the allegation during police interrogation."

Phadtare, however, ruled out the possibility of involvement of the builder lobby. "It will be too premature to come to any conclusion," he said.

Police claimed that an unidentified person was in Waghmare's car at the time of the incident. Savita, however, said that he had left home alone. The police are considering the possibility of the killing being an inside job.

Political rivalry
The party's city president, Nitin Pawar, said that Waghmare's appointment two months ago had upset his predecessor, Shashi Tavare.

Savita corroborated Pawar's view. "After losing the post, Tavare was baying for my husband's blood."

Cop probe
"We are probing the rivalry angle between Waghmare and Tavare," said Shinde. "We are probing all aspects, but it's too early to confirm anything yet."