RTO agent’s murder, a case of mistaken identity

The murder of RTO agent Balasaheb Misal (45) turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. The deceased’s physical similarity with a person against whom the killers were seeking revenge caused the unfortunate death of Misal on Monday night.

After the interrogation of the arrested suspect Sanjay Waghmode, who was nabbed by Dehu Road police on Tuesday night from Mohannagar in Chinchwad area, it was found that Misal’s physical resemblance confused the four killers, who ended up targetting an innocent person. The police said that the murderers wanted to avenge the murder of the brother of one of the killers five years ago.

Speaking to DNA, senior police inspector Ram Jadhav of Dehu road police station said, “Waghmode, along with his three associates, hatched a plan about two weeks ago to eliminate a person, who is also working with RTO office at Kudalwadi. On Monday night, at around 8.30 pm, they saw Misal and followed him for some distance. When Misal stopped to attend nature’s call in the darkness, one of the killers pulled out a pistol and shot him at point-blank range.”

Jadhav further added, “Both Misal and the person who was supposed to be the target had striking physical similarities, which acted as Misal’s doom. Apparently, Waghmode and his team were keeping a close watch on the other person and decided to move in on Monday night. Acting on a tip-off, we arrested Waghmode from Mohannagar area. Waghmode is a flex printer. Our preliminary investigations pointed to the involvement of four people, though three of the alleged assassins are still at large.”