Teen murder: Four members of Andekar family held from Gujarat

A senior police officer confirmed that the crime branch officials nabbed the four accused persons from Dwarka in Gujarat.

Police said they would take transit remand of the four accused from a local court and bring them to Pune. The accused would then be produced before a special court in Pune on Monday, a police officer said.

Ayush Komkar, 18, was allegedly shot multiple times by two gunmen in the parking lot of his residential building in Bhavani Peth on September 5.

Police suspected it to be an act of revenge for the murder of former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator Vanraj Andekar, son of gang leader Bandu Andekar, on September 1, 2024.

Ayush was son of Kalyani Komkar, who is one of the daughters of Bandu Andekar.

Kalyani’s husband Ganesh Komkar, sister Sanjivani and her husband Jayant Komkar, the are key accused in Vanraj’s murder.

An FIR was over Ayush’s murder lodged at Samarth police station against nine persons from the Andekar family, including Bandu, his son Krushna Andekar, and four gang members Yash Patil, Amit Patole, Sujal Rahul Mergu (23) and Aman Yusuf Pathan alias Khan (22).

Police booked the accused under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Indian Arms Act and the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Police had earlier arrested eight persons in this case.

Yash and Amit were arrested around 10 pm on September 6. Six others including Aman, Sujal, Bandu Andekar (68), his daughter Vrundavani Nilanjay Wadekar (45) and her sons Tushar (27) and Swaraj (23), were arrested on September 9.

Police said search is on for Bandu’s son Krushna Andekar (40).

As per the FIR, the Andekar gang allegedly hatched to avenge the murder of Vanraj Andekar, and Aman Pathan and Yash Patil allegedly shot dead Ayush.

Also, police claimed that accused Amit Patole and Sujal were present at the crime scene at the time of murder.

Police said along with Krushna, Shivam too is an active member of the dreaded gang involved in several criminal activities. In June this year, police had booked Shivam Andekar for allegedly extorting money from a fish vendor in Nana Peth.