Thane: A 30-year-old labour contractor was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants near Kasheli village in Bhiwandi on Wednesday evening. He was admitted to Jupiter Hospital in Thane with severe neck injuries, according to officials.
Identified as Ganya Kokate, a resident of Kasheli village in Bhiwandi, he was driving his car from Thane to his home on the outskirts of Thane city around 7.30 pm when the firing took place.
Deputy commissioner of police Navnath Dhawale said, “Two youths on a motorcycle followed him from Thane, and the pillion rider fired two bullets at him. Injuring him in the neck.”
The residents and bystanders gathered at the spot and alerted the police. He was rushed to Jupiter Hospital in Thane in critical condition. Doctors declared him dead later in the evening.
Dhawale said, “We visited the spot and we have formed six teams to nab the suspects. A team is also studying the CCTV footage to understand how the incident happened and identify the suspects.”
Police officials said that Kokate worked as a contractor supplying Mathadi workers and a rivalry in the labour contractor business could be one of the possible motives behind the attack. “No arrests have been made out yet. Many criminal cases are registered against Kokate across the Thane Commissionerate. Further investigations are on,” a police official said.