BJP worker’s murder: Cong leader, 2 sons held

Local Congress leader Kanku Machhi, her two sons and three others were arrested on Sunday in connection with the murder of BJP worker Kishor Gondhali. Police claimed to have cracked the case and said Machhi was the key conspirator.

"Kalpesh Raval, Bhagvan alias Bhikhan Patil and Kanaiya Rajput were held on Saturday at Kaykhede village in Dhule district of Maharashtra where they had fled after committing the murder on Thursday night," Police Commissioner Satish Sharma told reporters this evening.

They were picked up by Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) inspector K S Desai and his team and were brought to the city on Sunday, following they were arrested.

During interrogation, the trio reportedly confessed that they had killed Gondhali and that Machhi and her two son, Raju alias Lallu and Sunny, were also involved in the crime. Following this, the Congress leader and her two sons were also arrested.

Machhi is president of OBC Women's Morcha of the city unit of Congress. She and her sons were being questioned by the Panigate police for the last three days.

"Kankuben had a rivalry going on with Gondhali to establish political and criminal influence in the area. Gondhali was building a house on land primarily owned Raval. Furthermore, Kanaiya had eloped with a girl who is so-called sister of Gondhali and due to this, a tiff between Gondhali and Rajput was on. Bhikhan also joined the conspiracy as he was a friend of Rajput," Sharma said.

All the six suspects and the victim are residents of Kishanvadi area on the Harni-Warasia ring road.

The commissioner said the six held a meeting at Machhi's residence a few days before the murder and hatched the conspiracy to eliminate Gondhali. The Congress leader and her sons gave the trio Rs 5,000 to buy two pistols from Madhya Pradesh, police said.

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