Man held for robbing senior citizen in Pune had murdered Shiv Sena councillor’s husband in Raigad: Police

Qureshi confessed that he allegedly took "blood money” to kill Kalokhe. (Express Photo)

A man arrested by the Pune city police for robbing a senior citizen is also found to be allegedly involved in the sensational murder of former councillor and Shiv Sena activist Mangesh Kalokhe in Raigad recently.

Pune police have identified the accused as Khalid Khalil Qureshi (23), a resident of Sayyad Nagar in Hadapsar. Kalokhe was murdered in Khopoli in Raigad on December 26. His wife Manasi Kalokhe of Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde recently got elected as a councillor in Khopoli Municipal Council.

Police said Qureshi was arrested during the investigation of a robbery incident. Police said four men allegedly attacked a 75-year-old man and robbed his gold chain worth Rs 1.5 lakh, near Ramtekdi, on the road between Madhuban society and Hillside Apartment in Hadapsar, around 7.30 pm on December 12.

The victim lodged an FIR in this case at the Wanavdi police station. During investigation, the police initially arrested Umar Noor Khan and Sahil Habib Fakir. Police recovered the victim’s gold chain and a motorcycle from the accused persons.

Probe revealed that Qureshi, the main accused in the robbery case, has fled after committing the crime. A search was launched for him. Based on clues obtained during the investigation, a police team comprising sub inspector Alfaz Shaikh and assistant inspector Umakant Mahadik of Wanavdi police station nabbed Qureshi from Handewadi on December 30.

During investigation, accused Qureshi confessed that he along with two friends in Pune and other accused allegedly took “supari (blood money)” to kill Mangesh Kalokhe, stated a press release issued on Saturday.

“Our probe revealed that accused Khalid Qureshi had assaulted former councillor Mangesh Kalokhe in Khopoli. Also, his two friends from Pune, who are not involved in robbing the senior citizen, are known to have played a role in Kalokhe’s murder. We have informed the Khopoli police about it. The Khopoli police may take Qureshi’s custody for further investigation in the murder case. He has a previous criminal record. He was booked in two offences in the past,” said senior police inspector Bhausaheb Patil of Wanavdi police station.

According to the police, Kalokhe was returning home on a bike after dropping his daughter off at school at around 7 am on December 26, when the accused, who was waiting for him in a black car, stopped him and attacked him with swords, a sickle and an axe, which led to his death.

The Raigad police had earlier arrested nine people in connection with Kalokhe’s murder. Police said the prime accused is the rival Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Urmila Devkar, who lost to Mansi Kalokhe by 700 votes in the recently concluded municipal council polls. The police have also named the Raigad district NCP president, Sudhakar Ghare, the party’s local spokesperson, and others as wanted accused in the Mangesh Kalokhe murder case.