The Lonavla police have spread their dragnet to nab one Sumit Gavali, who is suspected to have murdered Raju Choudhary, president of the Lonavla Municipal Council (LMC).
The Lonavla police have spread their dragnet to nab one Sumit Gavali, who is suspected to have murdered Raju Choudhary, president of the Lonavla Municipal Council (LMC).
The daylight murder of Choudhary in his office on Tuesday could be the outcome of previous enmity and
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Hit list: Raju Choudhary had survived an attempt on his life in 2001.
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political rivalry, as the suspect is the brother of Amit Gavali, an NCP councillor in the civic body.
According to the police, Sumit entered Choudhary's office in the afternoon with an accomplice, then pulled him out of his cabin and stabbed him to death.
Umesh Mudliar, a member of the education board of the LMC who rushed to shield Choudhary, too was seriously injured in the attack. The assailants later fled on a motorcycle.
Pune Rural Police Superintendent Ranvindra Kadam said that a hotel and some establishments belonging to the Gavali family had been removed by the civic body in its anti-encroachment drive in the town a few days back and this could have provoked the attack on Choudhary, who too had some criminal cases pending against him.
Sudam Darekar, senior inspector and investigating officer, suggested political rivalry as the reason behind the murder. "As Chaudhary's term was ending in June, Sumit's brother Amit Gavali, an elected member of the LMC, wanted to be the president," said Darekar.
A bandh was observed in the town yesterday following the incident that sent shockwaves in the otherwise peaceful environment of the hill station.
