Pune man shot dead after dispute over bar bill; 3 suspects on the run
A 33-year-old man was shot dead at close range in a densely populated area of Shirur town in Pune district on Friday morning, with police suspecting the involvement of three men in the killing.
The incident took place around 6.30 am in the Late Ali-Ambedkar Nagar area. The deceased has been identified as Hari alias Harish Dadasaheb Gangawane, who ran a beer bar in Shirur.
Police have identified Rohit Ravindra Sonawane, 26, Aniket Vilas Gavhane, 23, both from Shirur, and Aditya Pintu Pawar, 24, from Shrigonda in Ahilyanagar district, as suspects in the case. All three are absconding and three police teams have been deployed to trace them.BAR DISPUTE SUSPECTED TO BE MOTIVE
According to police, Gangawane had a dispute with Sonawane and Gavhane around six months ago over a bill at his bar. Gangawane reportedly assaulted the two men during the dispute. Police suspect the incident may have led to the subsequent attack.
The three suspects and Gangawane reportedly confronted each other on Thursday night near Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Chowk during a Ganesh festival event. An argument and verbal altercation followed, but the situation was brought under control after patrolling police personnel and festival volunteers intervened.
The dispute, however, resurfaced the following morning.
Gangawane, accompanied by his friends Ajinkya Jagtap and Rahul Mire, went to the house of Sagar Kamble, the maternal uncle of Sonawane, to inform him about the previous night's confrontation. Kamble reportedly contacted Sonawane and warned him against any further confrontation.GANGAWANE SHOT AT CLOSE RANGE
As Gangawane and his friends were leaving the area on a motorcycle, police suspect Sonawane, Gavhane and Pawar were waiting nearby and attacked him.
Preliminary investigation has indicated that Sonawane and Gavhane were carrying country-made pistols. Police suspect Sonawane fired two shots at Gangawane from close range.
One bullet entered Gangawane's neck from behind the ear, while another grazed his arm. After he fell from the motorcycle, the attackers reportedly fired another shot towards Rahul Mire and also fired in the air before fleeing the spot on a motorcycle.
Gangawane was taken to a private hospital for treatment. He was being shifted to Pune for further medical care when he succumbed to his injuries.THREE POLICE TEAMS SEARCH FOR SUSPECTS
Senior police officers, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Ravindra Bhosale, Police Inspector Vinod Patil, Sub-Inspector Shubham Chavan and Local Crime Branch Inspector Pramod Kshirsagar, reached the spot after the shooting.
A forensic team examined the crime scene and collected evidence, including cartridges recovered from the area. Police are also examining CCTV footage from the locality to trace the suspects and establish the sequence of events.
Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill said no arrests had been made so far. Three police teams are working to trace Sonawane, Gavhane and Pawar.
Police said the exact motive behind the killing will be established after the suspects are arrested.- EndsPublished By: Ritaban MisraPublished On: Sep 19, 2026 19:30 IST
