A 40-year-old man was allegedly shot dead by his cousin in broad daylight at Makadwala Compound in Kurla on November 11, with the killing bringing renewed attention to a violent dispute within the family. The victim’s relatives later protested outside VB Nagar police station and demanded an encounter of the accused.
According to the report by Mid-Day, Vinod Mallappa Pawar was walking towards a washroom at around 12.40 pm when his cousin, identified as Aniket Pawar, allegedly followed him and fired two rounds at close range before fleeing. Vinod, who is survived by two young children, was declared dead after the attack.
The incident took place in a densely occupied residential compound during the day, and police teams are reconstructing the sequence of events at the scene. VB Nagar police and forensic personnel recovered a live bullet and a fired cartridge believed to be from a country-made pistol, the report said.
Investigators are questioning relatives and other family members to establish the motive behind the shooting. They are also examining whether anyone helped the accused obtain the firearm or escape after the attack. The preliminary police inquiry has focused on a history of disputes between Vinod and Aniket.
The shooting has also drawn attention because Vinod’s elder brother, Baba Mallappa Pawar, 39, was killed in a separate attack in Kurla on April 29. Baba was reportedly returning home on a motorcycle with a friend after attending a family function when three men allegedly intercepted them. One of the attackers opened fire while the others assaulted him with sharp weapons. Three people were subsequently arrested in that case.
Police are checking whether the two killings are connected, although an officer cited by Mid-Day said the accused named in Baba Pawar’s murder case had no role in Vinod’s killing so far. The earlier case involved Abhijit Jadhav, Dinesh Vinay Pawar and Shubham Ghadge and was linked to an assault on Baba’s nephew, Shekhar Pawar.
The officer said investigators were not linking the two cases at this stage but were examining every possibility, including the motive. The police probe will now focus on establishing the circumstances of the latest shooting, tracing the accused and determining whether others assisted in the crime.
