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Journalism of Courage
MINUTES into the funeral, the Phuge household in Gavahane vasti area of Bhosari saw a steady stream of mourners flocking in to comfort the family members, especially Dattatray Phuge’s wife Seema Phuge, who was inconsolable. And almost everyone had one question that they wanted to ask out aloud but could not. But some mourners could not resist the urge and ended up whispering into each other’s ears “Toh shirt kuthe ahe (Where is that shirt?)”. Phuge, who had earned the nick name ‘Gold Man of Pune’, was often seen at public places flaunting the gold shirt with Swarovski crystal buttons and matching rings, bracelets and a shimmering belt. He drew attention from the national and international media, who were more than eager to highlight his penchant for all things gold.
As Phuge was brutally murdered Thursday night, the talk of the town and beyond naturally veered towards the fabled gold shirt. The mourners, it seemed, wanted a glimpse of the shirt, but could not spot it anywhere.
Shubham, Phuge’s 21-year-old son, the eyewitness to his father’s killing, remained steady even in the family’s hour of crisis as he narrated the sequence of events. When Newsline asked him about the gold shirt, Shubham said the family has kept it in the safe custody of the Ranka Jewellers in Chinchwad. He, however, did not cite the reason for handing it over to Ranka Jewellers.
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Tejpal Ranka, owner of Ranka Jewellers in Chinchwad, meanwhile, told Newsline, “Why would we keep the shirt with us ? We made it about three to four years ago when Phuge ordered for it. We had handed it over to him soon after it was ready. That’s about it,” he said.
Specifying that they are not into mortgaging business, Ranka said “We only deal in buying and selling gold.”
When Shubham was contacted again, he said he will consult with his family about the whereabouts of the shirt. He added that his father last wore the shirt about two years ago at a function in Viman Nagar. It was around the same time that Phuge had also suffered a heart attack and had undergone an angioplasty, he said. According to close family friends, however, Phuge, who was a money-lender and was also in the chit fund business, was knee-deep in debt and owed lakhs to his investors. “He has probably sold the shirt off as he was reeling heavily under debt. For quite some time now, we have not heard about it from him nor had we seen him moving around in town wearing it,” said a family friend, who did not wish to be named. Another friend said it could also be possible that the family does not want to bring it to public notice.
Ranka, on the other hand, said it could be possible that he had dismantled the shirt. “It was easy to dismantle the shirt. I think he was in financial crisis. We could guess this because after the shirt was made, he came to us twice for some other things that he wanted to buy. But both the times, his cheques bounced. Then we filed cases against him and stopped entertaining him…,” he said.
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