Vadodara BJP worker shot dead, cops quiz Cong leader

Kishor Gondhali, convenor of city unit of BJP Yuva Morcha, was allegedly shot from close range in Kishanvadi area around 9.30 pm Wednesday. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital and later shifted to government-run SSG Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

Gondhali (38) was riding a motorbike back to his home in Kishanvadi after attending a party meeting on Ajawa road when he was intercepted by three men in a blue car. "Two men emerged from the car and one of them shot Gondhali in chest and on left hand. The other stabbed the victim twice in chest and then sped away," Gondhali's cousin brother Raju Utekar stated in his complaint filed with Panigate police.

Utekar named Machhi as the prime accused for the murder.

"On February 2, Machhi and her two sons, Rajesh alias Lallu and Sunny, had threatened to kill Gondhali following a dispute over ownership of a plot of land in Kishanvadi," the FIR notes.

After the complaint, Panigate police picked up Machhi early Thursday. She was being questioned till evening.

"Kanku Machhi has been named as the prime suspect and we are questioning her. Also, a blue-coloured van has been found abandoned near Halol. A police team has reached the spot and investigation is on," Panigate police inspector A L Chaudhary said.

Vadodara city police commissioner Satish Sharma said, "We have got names of suspects but they cannot be disclosed at this juncture. We suspect the van that has found abandoned near Halol was used to commit the crime. We are working on a number of theories."

Machhi, who is also a resident of Kishanvadi, runs a timber business.

Gondhali was earlier member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and was later with Bajrang Dal. He used to run a stall of Chinese food in the area.

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