Pune: A special MCOCA court in the city on Friday extended the police custody till Sept 22 of Yash Patil and Amit Patole, members of the Suryakant alias Bandu Andekar gang, in the murder case of Ayush Komkar (18) in Nana Peth around 7.30pm on Sept 5.Police have said Ayush was shot dead in the parking lot of his building to avenge the murder of Andekar’s son and former NCP corporator Vanraj on Sept 1, 2024. Ayush’s father, Vanraj’s brother-in-law Ganesh Komkar, is one of the 21 accused jailed in the Vanraj murder case that resulted from a property dispute within the family and rivalry with another gang of Ambegaon Pathar.Police have identified Patil as one of the two shooters who fired at Ayush and Patole as one of the two backup persons present on the spot. The duo was arrested on Sept 6 and sent to custodial remand till Sept 12.On Sept 9, police arrested Andekar, daughter Vrundavani Wadekar, her sons — Tushar and Swaraj, besides Aman Yusuf Pathan — who has been identified as the other shooter, and Sujal Meragu — the other backup person. All six are in police custody till Monday. A search is on for the remaining five of the 13 accused named in the FIR based on a complaint by Ayush’s mother Kalyani Komkar.On Sept 10, the police invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against all the 13 accused. Patil and Patole were produced before the special MCOCA judge at the end of their initial custodial remand on Friday.Assistant public prosecutor Vilas Patare sought a 14-day custody for the duo. He said police had to recover the weapons used in the crime and ascertain its source.Patare said the arrested accused were also named in another case registered with Bharati Vidyapeeth police relating to a plot to murder a relative of rival gangster Somnath Gaikwad at Ambegaon Pathar. It was foiled by the police. The prosecutor submitted that the police want to investigate who else was involved in the crime. He said both accused are active members of a criminal gang and an investigation to trace their properties is also needed.
