Police on night patrol in Nahur, between Bhandup and Mulund, discovered the body of Sanjay Pandharinath Vedak in the driver’s seat of his Maruti Esteem early on Saturday morning.
Police discovers body in car with a bullet through the temple, feels killer was known to deceased
Police on night patrol in Nahur, between Bhandup and Mulund, discovered the body of Sanjay Pandharinath Vedak in the driver’s seat of his Maruti Esteem early on Saturday morning. Vedak, a garment dealer, had been shot in the temple, allegedly by unknown persons.
At 2.25 am on Saturday, the patrol discovered Vedak’s awkwardly-parked car. When they peered inside, they found the 50-year-old sitting motionless at the wheel. The police initially thought he was sleeping, but discovered he was dead when they tried to wake him up.
“Two rounds had been pumped into Sanjay. One of the bullets had entered from the right side of his head, and the other had hit the rear left side window of the vehicle,” said senior inspector DS Mali of Kanjurmarg police station.
Vedak had left his Nahur residence at 8pm and was returning home after shopping for groceries at the DMart store in Mulund when he was allegedly killed, the police say. “Sanjay was driving home in his blue Esteem (MH-31-H-5998) when he was attacked by allegedly unknown persons who shot him,” assistant police inspector Sukhdev Mahale of Kanjurmarg police station, said.
The garment dealer, it was revealed during investigations, used to lend money on interest. The police also discovered other issues while probing the matter that could provide more leads to Vedak’s murder. Mali said Sanjay, who was married twice, may have been bumped off by someone close to him. “We are trying to find out if he was killed because of a business rivalry. We are going to check CCTV footage recorded at DMart to find out whether Sanjay was being followed by anyone that day,” Mali said, adding that Vedak was a person who hardly ever discussed his work and his business with anyone, not even his two wives.
Vedak used to live with his second wife Neha and 12-year-old son Mihir at Nahur. “In 1987, Sanjay married Prerna, his first wife, but the relationship ended after she learnt about her husband’s extramarital affair with Neha, who worked in Sanjay’s garment unit. They have filed for divorce, but the matter is still pending in court,” a police officer said. Statements of the victim’s wives and their families were recorded. Vedak’s brother-in-law Vishwas Mohite, who lives in Bhandup, told DNA, “Sanjay was a reserved person and hardly visited his relatives. I have not met him in the last three years. It’s the same with his other relatives.”
The body has been sent to JJ Hospital for a post-mortem to ascertain the time Vedak was killed. The case has now been transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch. narayan@dnaindia.net
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