Family of alleged extortionist suspects female spa employee had hand in his murder
Guru Siddappa Waghmare with his alleged girlfriend whom his family suspects had been gathering information about him; (right) the deceased’s wife Manisha Waghmare in front of a poster of her husband
The wife of Guru Siddappa Waghmare, 50, the informer and alleged extortionist who tattooed the names of his foes on his body, alleged that he was honey-trapped by a female employee of Soft Touch Spa in Worli. “For the past two months, a woman would visit our home along with my husband. She was collecting information about him and his connections. He had many affairs but this was the first woman to visit our home,” Manisha told mid-day.
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According to Manisha, the woman stayed at their home for two days. Waghmare had used his body to record several aspects of his life, according to the authorities who discovered more than 70 names tattooed on his skin.
Waghmare, who had many enemies, took inspiration from the film Ghajini to use his body as a diary
Cops said the names of 22 enemies were tattooed on his thighs while those of 50 police officers from Navi Mumbai, Thane, Mumbai and Mira Bhayander were inked on his back. Police said the names of the officers pertained to cases in which he was booked while the names of his mother, son, daughter-in-law, three journalists who had written against him and the prime accused who has been arrested in the case were in the enemies list.
“When my husband got angry, he tattooed a person’s name but erased it once the enmity ended,” said Manisha.
The list of Waghmare’s enemies, which includes the names of his son and daughter-in-law
Waghmare had helpfully tattooed a note along with the list of enemies on his thighs, which states, “Majya dushmanyanchi nave diarit nond aahe chaukshi karun karyavhi kara. [The names of my enemies are mentioned in the diary. Inquire and then take action].
Family’s suspicions
Manisha said the deceased was employed as a driver and would work for restaurants before becoming a police informer.
Guru Siddappa Waghmare, the deceased who would allegedly impersonate cops and work as a police informer
She said, “I married Guru in 1995, and I have a son and daughter. He liked the 2008 movie Gajini so in 2012 he decided to tattoo the names of his enemies on his body. He used to carry three books to note down day-to-day activities and maintain call records.”
“I’m sure that the murder was planned and the woman is connected with the case. Six months ago, my husband complained to the police about the Worli-based spa and it was raided. This woman was working in this spa,” she added. Manisha said, “On July 17, my husband turned 50 and he invited the entire society for his birthday celebration. This woman was also there. A month ago, she also visited our village.” “On the day of the incident, July 23, around 10 pm, I called my husband and he told me he was with his friend and would come home late. He also told me that he was throwing a birthday party for his friends. After that, I didn’t receive any calls from him. The next day at around 4 pm, the Vile Parle police came home and took me to Nair hospital where I found my husband dead.”
The deceased’s son, Rohidas Waghmare, whose name is tattooed on his body, and wife, Manisha, in front of a poster of her husband
Rohidas, Waghmare’s son, said, “My father also tattooed my name on his thigh. He would fight regularly with me over silly issues. I had a fight with him over my job and lifestyle. I was not an actual enemy of his. There were many names on his body and had also removed a lot after his feuds ended.”
A habitual drinker
A friend of a local whose name was tattooed on Waghmare’s body said, “Waghmare would trouble society members by creating issues. He was a habitual drinker who used to fight with all society members after imbibing. Due to this, many FIRs were registered against him. He was externed from the area in 2012-13. In 2013, he came to our area and I took advantage and informed the Vile Parle police who arrested him. To take revenge, he tattooed my name on his body. But, later we became friends and I also ordered a big cake on his recent birthday. I told him to remove my name but he refused, saying he would never erase the name of anyone who had caused him to be arrested.”
Tattoo no. 8
In 2016, a journalist from a reputed organisation claimed that Waghmare was extorting money while impersonating a cop. He told mid-day that prime accused Santosh Sherekar and Waghmare were good friends, but they eventually turned enemies. “He used to extort money in Sherekar’s name. They were good friends and Sherekar had attended Waghmare’s family functions. But then the notorious ‘Chulbul Pandey’ {as Waghmare is known] tried to overpower Sherekar and they parted their ways. Waghmare then tattooed his name and tipped off the police about his spa,” the journalist said.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Sherekar was the mastermind of Waghmare’s murder and had paid hitmen R6 lakh to do the job. The journalist claimed, “He had a lavish lifestyle. I am tattoo no. 8 on his thigh.”
He added, “Rape cases have been registered against him across the city. He used to take advantage of the social status of women or rape them under the pretext of providing jobs in the spa.”
Retired cop speaks
A former cop who had arrested Waghmare said that he didn’t fear the police and would even blackmail cops, threatening to complain to their superiors.
“In 2016, I arrested him as he extorted people disguised as a cop. He roamed around on a Bullet, wearing khaki pants and red shoes. He had also raped a woman. He was mad. He didn’t fear arrest and, in fact, threatened us. He even had the gall to give false statements in court. I was shocked to see that he had tattooed the name of the officer who had acted against him. Extortion was a full-time business for him. Many cases had been registered against him across the city and MMR.”
Investigation so far
Based on the investigations, the Crime Branch and the Worli police have established that Sherekar had given the supari.
The Worli police have arrested Sherekar, while Crime Branch officials have arrested Mohammad Firoz Ansari from Nallasopara and Saqib Ansari from Kota.
Firoz allegedly wanted to seek revenge on Waghmare. “Sherekar and he had hatched a conspiracy against Waghmare. Saqib then joined them from Delhi and they tracked Waghmare’s movements for over 10 days,” a police officer said. The trio have been granted police custody till July 30. According to a Crime Branch officer, the accused have been handed over to the Worli police. The cops have recovered R4.50 lakh in total from the Firoz and Saqib. “The gold chain of the deceased, the scooter used in crime, weapons and clothes have been recovered from the duo,” said the officer. The female spa employee was questioned by the Worli police.
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