Pune Contract Killing Plot of ₹10 Lakh Over Love Affair: Three Arrested, Shooter Still at Large

In Pune’s Maval region, a ₹10 lakh contract killing was plotted over a love affair; three held, main shooter on the run.

Pune | November 15, 2025: In a chilling episode of alleged contract murder in the Maval taluka of Pune district, three men have been arrested after it emerged that a hit worth ₹10 lakh was arranged because a young man’s relationship displeased another family. The target, a 31-year-old man named Vikas Balasaheb Kedari, was shot near the expressway at Ozarde and is now undergoing treatment in critical condition.

Investigations by the local police indicate that the plot was triggered when the victim reportedly entered into a romantic relationship with a girl from the accused’s extended family. The family of the girl – particularly brothers or relatives of the girl – allegedly felt humiliated or dishonoured by the liaison and decided to eliminate the young man to end the affair. As per police records, two individuals from Taje village in Maval – Abhijit Santosh Kedari (26) and Nitin Gnyandev Kedari (42) – allegedly collaborated with a hitman, Akash Bhokse (26), resident of Kurkund in Khed taluka, by paying a sum of ₹10 lakh to get the job done.

The attack allegedly took place late at night when Vikas was travelling home from his workplace. The shooter opened fire near the expressway at Ozarde village, aiming at his neck and leaving him wounded. Police say Vikas is fighting for his life in a private hospital. The main shooter remains at large, prompting a broader manhunt.

The arrests came after a swift operation by the Anti-Gunda Squad and local police. Abhijit was apprehended from Matheran (Raigad district) while Nitin and Akash were caught at Wai (Satara district) in a coordinated crack-down across district boundaries. According to the investigating officers, both Nitin and Akash had previous criminal cases pending against them — raising concerns about how individuals with criminal histories could be involved in contract killing.

This case highlights several worrying trends. First, it underscores how matters of personal relationships — in this case a love affair — can quickly escalate into lethal violence when honour, family pressure and access to paid gunmen combine. Second, the use of a large amount of money (₹10 lakh) indicates that contract killing is being commodified, which poses serious challenges for law-enforcement and society alike. Third, the mobility across district lines by both perpetrators and victims means that policing agencies must coordinate more efficiently to check such trans-district conspiracies.

Legal experts note that the offence will be registered under attempt to murder (since the victim is alive but in critical condition) and various sections of the Indian Arms Act and criminal conspiracy provisions. If proven, it could also attract charges under the organised crime provisions depending on how the contract killing was arranged, financed, and executed. The fact that the shooter remains at large means that the investigation is ongoing and the chain of command (who arranged the hit, how money changed hands, what logistics were used) will likely unpack deeper organised crime links.

For the victim and his family the human cost is enormous. What began as a personal relationship has now led to a life-threatening injury, trauma, and a long legal battle. For the local community in Maval and nearby talukas, this incident sends a chilling message about how private grievances can become violent when weaponised by money and contractors. It may also prompt residents to question how many such plots remain undetected and what preventive mechanisms local police have in place.

Going forward the police will need to (a) identify and apprehend the actual shooter who is still at large, (b) trace the full conspiracy — including any financiers and middle-men, (c) gather forensic and electronic evidence (call records, financial transactions) to establish the plot, and (d) issue public warnings and surveillance in vulnerable areas where such contract killings might be planned. Moreover, from a social-policy angle, the incident emphasises the need for interventions in youth relationship-disputes, community mediation, and alternate dispute resolution to reduce the slide into violence.

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