A man opened fire in broad daylight at the brother of former MLA Bhavan Bharwad in the Vyasvadi area of Naranpura on  Friday morning. The victim, Vitthal Bharwad, a real estate dealer, was sitting in a tea shop when the incident happened.

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Onlookers said that Bharwad, who used to frequent the shop, was sitting with a couple of his friends when one Naresh Soni alias Kodiyo fired at him with two country made revolvers. The police have seized both the weapons. Sources said that a third revolver hidden in the ground behind the tea shop where Bharwad was seated, has also been seized.

The sources also said that  Bharwad tried to grab Soni as soon as he was shot. Although  the latter tried to escape, he fell down and those who were present at the spot nabbed him and later on handed him over to the police.

An injured Bharwad was rushed to the Sal Hospital after the incident.  Akhabhai Bharwad, who was present at the place when the incident happened, said, "As soon as the shots were fired, we managed to grab the shooter. We have never seen the accused before but we suspect that one Ashok Patel who worked with Bharwad is behind the incident."

The sources said that Patel had been asking Bharwad for a salary hike. When Bharwad refused, Patel engineered the incident, the sources added. On the other hand, Soni who was arrested by the Naranpura police, claims that he was threatened by Bharwad numerous times because of which he shot him.

Sources in the police department also say that Soni was injured too as he also took a bullet, in all likelihood, from a pistol fired by Bharwad. Police Inspector of Naranpura police station, RT Gohil said, "We are investigating all the possibilities. The accused says that he was also injured and that he was threatened by Bharwad a few times because of which he fired at him." Officials confirmed that Soni has also sustained injuries and had to have a bullet removed from his body.