Rajkot financier kills self after hiring sharp shooters to murder friend

Police said Mankadiya’s scull was broken into pieces as a bullet, shot form close range, ripped through his head. Police also found a pistol from near the body of Mankadiya. Initially, police believed that Mankadiya, once a friend to Chaniyara, was also murdered. But police found a suicide note in Mankadiya’s office on Gondal road, establishing that the financier had killed himself “after committing a mistake.”

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Mankadiya’s alleged suicide led police to his friend Manish Padaliya who owns a factory in the city. Police said Mankadiya and Chaniyara had fallen out with each other around one-and-half-year ago when the trader suspected that his financier friend was getting too close to his wife Harshida. Around a month ago, Mankadiya told his friend Manish Padaliya, a chum of Chaniyara, to help him eliminate the trader.
Manish refused to cooperate but gave in to Makadiya’s demand after the financier threatened him not end partnership in a plot of land.

Subsequently, Manish introduced Bhavin alias Kano Padaliya, a factory owner to Mankadiya. Police said Bhavin agreed to for a contract to kill Chaniyara for Rs20 lakh. Then he got in with Kana Ahir and Sagar Karavadiya, both residents of  Junagadh district. As planed, Ahir shot Chaniyara dead on May 26 with the help of Bhavin’s unlicensed pistol. A couple of days after Chaniyara’s murder, Mankadiya asked Manish to give him the weapon used to commit the crime. He shot himself with the same pistol and committed suicide on Sunday, police said.

Malaviyanagar police had also questioned Mankadiya after Chaniyara’s murder. But he told police that he had not relations with the trader for the last 18 months.

As it emerged that Mankadia was mastermind of Chaniyara’s muder and Manish and Bhavin helped commit the crime, Malaviyanagar police arrested the two factory owners on Sunday. Police said efforts were on to nab the two contract killers.

“We believe, Mankadiya had developed a relationship with Harshida but Chaniyara was proving to be an obstacle in it. Therefore, the financier had the trader murdered,” Malaviyanagar police inspector Mulu Godhaniya said on Sunday.