Two men on a bike opened fire at Shiv Sena youth wing leader Nilesh Ghare’s parked car in Pune late on Monday night, minutes after he had exited the vehicle. The Pune police, who have launched a probe, said the incident occurred next to Ghare’s public relations office in the city’s Warje area and that no injuries were reported. Ghare, 37, is the youth wing head of the Pune unit of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
According to the preliminary information, the incident occurred around 11.30 pm in the Ganpati Matha area of Warje. “Ghare had come to his office sometime around 11.30 pm. Minutes after he exited the vehicle and entered his office, two suspects came on a bike. They came near Ghare’s car, and one of them fired a bullet. The duo fled the scene after that. No one was present inside the vehicle, and no injuries were reported,” an officer from Warje Malwadi police station said.
“After hearing the gunshot, people from the office and nearby areas came to the spot and informed the police. Teams from the Warje Malwadi police station and the Crime Branch responded to the incident, and a probe was launched. As part of the probe, the teams have started looking into CCTV camera footage from the approach and exit routes to the location. Ghare has named one person whom he suspects. We are probing that angle,” the officer added.
A Pune police team has collected forensic evidence from the location, and the process of identifying the firearm make is on. Senior Pune city police officers also visited the spot late Monday night and reviewed the progress of the investigation. Officials said that statements from locals are being recorded and various possible motives behind the alleged attack are being looked into. Authorities are also examining Ghare’s recent political activities to determine whether the attack could be linked to personal or political rivalry. Ghare has been increasingly active in local politics over the past few months, leading police to suspect a possible political vendetta.