NCP leader’s son arrested for plotting murder of political rival

Investigations revealed that Tripathi had been hired by Vishwanath Thok to make a parcel bomb to kill Shinde. Thok is the accountant of the Suryabhan Gadakh Public School Sinnar, run by the Gadakhs in Sinnar. The Police said that a supari of Rs 25,000 was given by Thok to Tripathi and an advance of Rs 5,000 had been paid for the job. Both were arrested and remanded to police custody for four days.

Suryabhan Gadakh had been elected to the Legislative Assembly from Sinnar constituency twice, as an independent in 1977 and on a Congress (Urs) ticket 1980. He had pioneered the cooperative industrial estate in Sinnar in 1983 and was its chairman for over a decade.

Later, his son, Annasaheb Gadakh was made its chairman. Last year, the Gadakhs lost control of the estate to Shinde’s panel. Subsequently, complaints and cross complaints had led to expulsion of the Gadakh father and son from the estate’s board of directors. The alleged involvement of the Gadakhs in the case had led to a hue and cry in Nashik, with Sinnar Shiv Sena MLA Manikrao Kokate and Dilip Shinde publicly demanding action against them.