Mumbai: The Thane Police Crime Branch on Friday arrested nine people in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old youth from Dombivli, who was allegedly shot dead on Tuesday afternoon.
The deceased, Vikrant Kene, got into an argument over parking of vehicles with Mangesh Bhagat, a resident of the same area. The duo had been involved in a dispute over land for a few days before the argument, and on Tuesday, Bhagat and the other accused allegedly surrounded and threatened Kene, after which Bhagat shot Kene with his licensed revolver and fled the scene.
Additional Commissioner of Police Makarand Ranade said the accused had been constantly changing their locations since the murder. “The accused were on their way to Goa when they were intercepted in Kharghar and arrested on Thursday,” said Mr. Ranade.
The police said the Kene and Bhagat families were in a dispute over a piece of land, which Kene’s family wanted to buy from the Bhagats. The dispute stemmed from disagreements regarding the deal.
The incident is only the latest in a spate of murders in Dombivli over the last month in which a licensed firearm was used. Police officials said they have taken note of this.
“We will take action to make sure these guns are put into proper use. We are reviewing each licensed firearm issued in our jurisdiction and are checking whether the licences have been renewed in time,” said Mr. Ranade.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mangesh Bhagat, Shriram Bhagat, Onkar Bhagat, Shubham Bhagat, Pankaj Mhatre, Pradeep Naidu, Sanjay Tulve, Prashant Pawar and Shashikant Kule.
