Senior citizen targeted for a year

NAGPUR:

Shashikala Thakre

, in her late 60s, was being watched closely by labourers-turned-assailants for about a year before they sensed an opportunity on last Monday. The two, arrested through joint efforts of

Sakkardara

police and crime branch, murdered the senior citizen fearing she would get them behind bars if left alive.

Shivaprasad Bangre (38) and Praveen Bhandarkar (29), engaged as labourers by the victim oblivious of their evil plans, were picked up by crime branch squad under assistant PI DM Bhedodkar under supervision of

ACP Nilesh Raut

and additional CP Ranjan Sharma from different places. While Bangre was nabbed from a village in Bhandara, his accomplice Bhandarkar was nabbed from Gondia. Police have recovered some cash and gold from the duo. The two had decamped with Rs20,000 cash and ornaments on Shashikala’s body. Zonal DCP

G Shreedhar

, also part of the operation, said no crime records of the duo had come to fore so far.

Bangre’s involvement came to fore through CCTV footage which was confirmed by his family members and the contractor whom the cops rounded up for questioning. It was a call from Bhandarkar’s cell phone to Bangre’s wife asking him about his accomplice that helped police get his mobile phone whose location showed Gondia. API Bhedodkar took help of Gondia LCB to net Bhandarkar. Bangre’s family members cooperated in getting him caught.