3 more businessmen were on killers’ radar

Staff Reporter :

In a chilling revelation, the police have come across a sensitive information related to a double murder case that shocked the city on Thursday. The perpetrators had targeted three separate businessmen in ‘black to white’ money exchange schemes before finally zeroing in on Nirala Kumar who was shot dead along with Amrish Gole at a farmhouse in Kondhali area on Tuesday. The three businessmen had refused to accept the offers from the accused after suspecting something amiss. According to a police official closely involved in the investigation, the killers had been actively trying to convince separate businessmen for the past five months.

They held several meetings with the three businessmen at different restaurants in the past three months. However, the potential victims sensed something amiss and declined the dubious offer put forth by the accused. One of the businessmen is a resident of the Tehsil Police Station area, the official added. The official also said that the prime accused, Omkar Talmale, allegedly had a desire for quick money and lured other accused persons into the crime. Omkar was active in Bajrang Dal from 2016-17, and that was when he came in contact with Vishal Punj, a leader of Bajrang Dal. Omkar’s friend Harsh Verma is a notorious criminal. Omkar and Harsh discussed the bogus money exchange plan five months ago and started executing it. For this, Omkar had purchased two pistols from a firearm supplier, Abdul Mannan, alias Mohd Rehman, a native of Bihar, and currently living in Gittikhadan, for Rs 1.20 lakh. The accused then approached the deceased businessmen - Niralakumar Singh (43) and Amrish Gole (41) - with the assistance of Vishal Punj, who introduced Omkar as a fellow businessman. Their initial meeting occurred on July 18 at a cafe within Chitnavis Centre, leading to subsequent meetings that ultimately trapped the victims in the deceptive scheme.

The accused promised Rs 50 lakhs to four accused persons - Harsh Bagde, Harsh Verma, Danesh Shivpeth, and Lucky Turkel - for assisting in executing their plan. The accused had apparently enticed the victims with an offer to convert their Rs 2.80 crore in black money into white money for a fee of Rs 1.50 crore. Niralakumar Singh and Amrish Gole were shot dead by Omkar and his accomplices at a farmhouse in Kondhali. The investigation revealed that in a desperate attempt to cover up their crime, the killers dumped the bodies into the swollen Wardha River from a bridge on Amravati Road. The Talegaon police stumbled upon a half-burnt body, later identified as that of Nirala Kumar, which brought the gruesome murder to light. Postmortem investigations revealed that both victims suffered eight to ten gunshots each at point-blank range before their bodies were doused in petrol and set ablaze.

Vishal Punj expelled from Bajrang Dal Vishal Punj, an accused in the double murder case, has been expelled from the Bajrang Dal, on Saturday. A high-level meeting of office-bearers from Vishwa Hindu Parishad was convened on Saturday to address the situation. In the meeting, it was decided that Punj’s expulsion from the organisation was necessary given the severity of the allegations against him. Prashant Titre, Prant Mantri of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, released a press statement informing about the decision.

Police seize Gole’s car The police found Ambarish Gole’s car concealed within the premises of Omkar’s company in the MIDC area. The police seized the vehicle and called forensic experts to examine it for any potential clues. During the investigation, the forensic team made a crucial discovery - vital evidence including blood stains of the deceased.