82-year-old was mowed down by a car
In a shocking turn of events, the investigation into the tragic murder of 82-year-old Purushottam Puttewar has unveiled a chilling plot planned by his daughter-in-law, Archana Puttewar, to seize his property worth Rs 300 crore, which was believed to be the motive behind the contract killing. On the morning of May 22, Puttewar, a resident of Shubh Nagar, Manewada Road, was ruthlessly run over and killed near the Pandit Deendayal Library on Manewada Road.
The police’s relentless efforts led to the arrest of Archana Puttewar, a government official, in connection with the heinous crime. Furthermore, Neeraj Ishwar Nimje (30) from Shakti Mata Nagar and Sachin Mohan Dharmik (29) from Juna Bagadganj were also arrested for their roles in the meticulously planned murder.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Sarthak Bagde, the driver employed by Puttewar’s son Dr. Manish, had accepted a contract to carry out the killing. With Sarthak on the run, police were stumped. But Sachin Dharmik eventually cracked, implicating Archana in the crime during interrogation.
Sachin’s father runs a chit fund and Archana was a member of his group. Needing a driver, Archana asked Mohan to find one and Mohan recommended Sachin, who was friends with Sarthak. Sarthak was employed as a driver by Dr Manish through Sachin’s recommendation. Archana had given Sachin the contract to murder her father- in-law, Purushottam Puttewar. She also asked him to ensure that Sarthak’s name remained undisclosed to avoid suspicion. Sachin then involved his friend Neeraj in the plan.
As a part of the plan, Neeraj bought a car for Rs 1.60 lakh, with Sarthak contributing Rs 1.20 lakh and Sachin Rs 40,000. On the day they put their plan into action, the three met at Shubham Hospital. Sachin arrived on an Activa scooter, while Sarthak and Neeraj got into the car. Around 10 am, Puttewar left the hospital in an e-rickshaw, followed closely by the perpetrators. When Puttewar got off near his daughter’s house, Sachin quickly informed Sarthak and Neeraj, urging them to act fast. Neeraj then fatally hit Puttewar with the car.
Hemant, Dr. Manish’s elder brother from Chandrapur, informed Manish of the incident around 11 am. Subsequently, Dr. Manish reported it to the Ajni police, who initially registered it as a hit-and-run involving an unknown driver. However, they later identified and retrieved the car using CCTV footage.