Pune: The Pune Rural police on Wednesday arrested six men in connection with the brutal murder of Vishal Kale (31) at the Karde Ghat section near Shirur, around 78km from Pune, on June 1.According to police, Kale was shot dead by the accused, who intercepted his car by ramming it with a compact SUV and firing at the windscreen. As Kale stepped out of the vehicle and attempted to flee, two more assailants arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire again at him and his two aides. The accused then allegedly bludgeoned Kale to death before fleeing the spot in another vehicle.Kale’s aide, Kedar Zadge (25), a resident of Shirur, suffered a forehead injury in the attack and is undergoing treatment at a hospital. Another aide, Umesh Jagdale, managed to escape from the scene. He later approached the Shirur police and lodged a complaint in the case.Following the murder, the Pune Rural police formed four teams to trace the assailants. The teams questioned more than 50 known criminals from Shirur and surrounding areas during the investigation.“The questioning of known offenders helped us identify the assailants. We have arrested six accused, who have been remanded to police custody till June 9,” an officer from Pune Rural police said.The officer said the main accused, also with a criminal record, remains absconding. “Our teams are searching for him,” he said.“Preliminary investigations indicate that Kale’s murder stemmed from a dispute over money and other issues between him and the accused,” the officer added.
