A revenge plot two decades in the making has been unravelled by police in Maharashtra after a brutal killing on the Pune-Satara highway. What looked like a fresh, random attack turned out to be the final act of a grudge stretching back more than two decades, and four men are now in custody over it.
The killing near the old Katraj tunnel
On July 11, 40 year old Sanjay Baburao Kadu-Deshmukh was hacked to death with a sharp weapon in the Shindewadi area. Sanjay was originally from Kuran village in Velhe taluka but had been living in Mundhwa. The attack took place close to the old Katraj tunnel, and a murder case was registered at Rajgad police station soon after, triggering a full investigation.
A confession that exposed a 23 year old grudge
Investigators from the Local Crime Branch of Pune Rural Police, working alongside the Rajgad police, zeroed in on two young men, Manthan Vaidya and Saurabh Pardeshi, and brought them in for questioning. Under sustained interrogation, main accused Manthan Dinesh Vaidya broke down and confessed. He told investigators that Sanjay Deshmukh had killed his father when Manthan was just six months old, roughly 23 years ago. That loss had stayed with him ever since, and he eventually plotted with associates to track down and kill Sanjay in revenge.
Four held, pistol and cartridges seized
The four men arrested are main accused Manthan Dinesh Vaidya, Saurabh Sagar Pardeshi, Mizan Gausuddin Shaikh and Sandeep Babulal Kori. A country-made pistol and three live cartridges were recovered from the accused. Police are now working out how the weapon was obtained while pursuing further legal proceedings in the case.
Senior Police Inspector Pramod Kshirsagar said on Monday that Manthan Vaidya and Saurabh Pardeshi were taken into custody on July 14.
During questioning, they admitted that they killed Sanjay Baburao Kadu-Deshmukh with help from Mizan Shaikh and Sandeep Kori.
The 2003 killing that started it all
Police say the roots of this murder go back to 2003, when Kadu-Deshmukh allegedly killed Manthan's father, Dinesh Vaidya, following a minor dispute. Manthan was barely six months old at the time, too young to even remember the father he lost. That single act, police believe, planted the seed of vengeance that finally erupted 23 years later.
Victim was out on bail in another case
Assistant Police Inspector Chetan Machale said Manthan had nursed the desire to avenge his father's killing for years before finally conspiring with the other accused to carry it out. He added that at the time he was killed, Kadu-Deshmukh was out on bail in a separate criminal case. Police say the investigation is continuing to establish whether anyone else was involved in planning the attack.
