Akola: In a swift investigation, the Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Akola police arrested five persons, including two cousins of the victim, within nine hours of the alleged murder of Amol Gajanan Malokar at Nimbi Malokar village in Balapur taluka on Sunday.According to police, the incident took place on Sunday afternoon in the agricultural fields of Nimbi Malokar. Amol allegedly had a dispute with his cousins Ajay Malokar and Vijay Malokar, and their associates over the use of a farm road. The argument reportedly escalated, following which the accused allegedly opened fire on Amol with a firearm and fled from the spot.The police were informed about the incident by the victim’s brother, Umesh Gajanan Malokar. Senior police officials immediately visited the spot and launched an investigation.During the probe, police reportedly learnt that the accused had initially fled after shooting Amol. However, after learning that he was still alive, they allegedly returned to the spot and fired at him again in the presence of his cousin Dnyaneshwar Malokar, before fleeing once more.Police also suspect that accused Vijay Malokar attempted to mislead investigators by pretending to inform the police about the murder himself. However, technical analysis allegedly helped investigators establish the sequence of events and expose the attempt to divert the investigation.Taking the incident seriously, SP Archit Chandak directed LCB police inspector Nitin Levhekar to apprehend the accused at the earliest. Three LCB teams were formed and launched a coordinated search based on technical surveillance and information from confidential sources.One team traced Vijay Malokar, Vijay Bute, and a juvenile in conflict with law to the Umri area, where they were taken into custody while allegedly preparing to flee.Meanwhile, technical surveillance indicated that Ajay Shrikrishna Malokar and Rajkumar Shivcharan Malokar were travelling towards Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after the alleged crime. An LCB team immediately moved in that direction and intercepted the vehicle. Both accused were apprehended at Deulgaon Raja in Buldhana district during the night.The arrested accused have been identified as Vijay Shrikrishna Malokar (33), Ajay Shrikrishna Malokar (32), Rajkumar Shivcharan Malokar (25), Vijay Kailas Bute (30), and a juvenile in conflict with law.Police said two cars and a motorcycle along with five mobile phones and 9.77 lakh in cash were seized from the accused. Other material allegedly linked to their attempt to flee was also recovered.The accused were handed over to Balapur police for further investigation. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act.Police officials said further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of the shooting, the role played by each accused and the source and use of the firearm.The operation was carried out under the guidance of SP Archit Chandak and additional SP B Chandrakant Reddy, with LCB inspector Nitin Levhekar and a team of police officers and personnel involved in the operation.
