Councillor's husband hacked to death at Khopoli in Raigad due to political rivalry

Mumbai, Dec 26 (PTI) A group of men allegedly hacked to death the 45-year-old husband of a newly-elected councillor using various sharp weapons, including a sword, in Khopoli town of Maharashtra's Raigad district on Friday morning, officials said.

The deceased was identified as Mangesh Sadashiv Kalokhe alias Appa, a resident of Khalapur taluka, a police official said.

He was the husband of newly-elected Shiv Sena corporator Manasi Kalokhe in the Khopoli Municipal Council.

As per the preliminary investigation, the murder was a fallout of Kalokhe's political rivalry with his opponent, who lost the recent election.

According to the official, Kalokhe was attacked near a bar in Vihari area around 7 am when he was returning home after dropping his daughters at Shishumandir School.

The victim's family member filed a complaint, naming five persons and accusing unidentified others of conspiring to kill Kalokhe due to old enmity and political rivalry, he said.

The main accused have been identified as Ravindra Parshuram Deokar, Darshan Ravindra Deokar, Dhanesh Ravindra Deokar, Sachin Sandip Chavan, Sudhakar Parshuram Ghare, and Bharat Bhagat, the official said.

Three others, including a bouncer associated with Ravindra Deokar, are also accused in the case, he said.

The attackers chased Kalokhe, pinned him down, and assaulted him with a sword, a sickle and an axe, leading to his death on the spot, the official said.

A case of murder and criminal conspiracy was registered at the Khopoli police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and efforts are on to trace and arrest the accused, the official said. PTI DC NP