BJP worker’s murder: Cong leader gets police custody

Local Congress leader Kanku Machhi, her two sons and three others were on Monday remanded to six-day police custody by a local court here in the case of murder of local BJP worker Kishor Gondhali.

Machhi, who is president of OBC Women's Morcha of city unit of Congress, and her two sons, Raju alias Lallu and Sunny, were produced before a magisterial court Monday evening along with the other accused, Kalpesh Raval, Kanaiya Rajput and Bhagval alias Bhikhan Patil.

"The court has granted us custody of all the six accused for six days for further investigation in the case," said Panigate police inspector A L Chaudhary, who is the investigation officer (IO) in the case.

Machhi and her sons were arrested by Panigate police on Sunday after Raval, Rajput and Patil were caught from Dhule district of Maharashtra by Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) of city police.

Gondhali, president of city BJP unit's Yuva Morcha, was allegedly shot dead on Wednesday night allegedly by Raval, Rajput, Patil and his nephew Suraj Patil.

Police say Patil and Suraj had shot Gondhali from their pistols they had bought from Madhya Pradesh. "While Patil's pistol did not fire, two shots from Suraj's pistol killed Gondhali," Chaudhary said.

Police said while Machhi felt threat to her political and financial dominance in the area with the rise of Gondhali, Raval and the BJP worker had a dispute over ownership of a plot of land. Hostilities between Rajput and Gondhali were on the rise after Rajput allegedly eloped with cousin sister of Gondhali.

All the six accused and the victim are residents of Kishanvadi area. Raval, Rajput and Patil were booked by police in cases of murder, assault and under the Prohibition Act.

Police say Machhi was the mastermind of the conspiracy as she had funded purchase of firearms and had also promised the four assailants she would take care of court matters.

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