Son of NCP corporator murder accused shot dead in Pune, cops suspect gang war

A man was shot dead in Pune’s Nana Peth area on the eve of Ganesh Visarjan in what police suspect to be a gang-related attack. The victim, Govind Komkar, was the son of Ganesh Komkar, accused in the 2024 murder of former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator Vanraj Andekar.

Police said unidentified assailants fired three bullets at Govind, killing him on the spot. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.

The murder comes almost a year after Andekar was gunned down outside his residence in Nana Peth on September 1, 2024. In that case, CCTV footage had shown a dozen attackers arriving on bikes, disabling streetlights, and attacking Andekar with guns and sickles.

Police had arrested 21 people, including Andekar’s sister Sanjeevani Komkar, her husband Jayant Komkar, and gangster Somnath Gaikwad. The murder was linked to a property dispute after Andekar allegedly demolished his sister’s shop during an anti-encroachment drive, with the Gaikwad gang accused of aiding the conspiracy.

TENSIONS AHEAD OF FATHER'S DEATH ANNIVERSARY

Police said tensions had been building ahead of Andekar’s first death anniversary. Just days ago, officers foiled a suspected revenge plot by Andekar’s loyalists, who were allegedly planning to target relatives of Gaikwad and his associate Aniket Dudhbhate. One of the arrested suspects, Datta Kale, had reportedly conducted reconnaissance for the attack.

Authorities fear the latest killing could further inflame rivalries between the gangs.

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