The police on Saturday made the first arrest in connection with the brutal hacking of a notorious criminal Rafiuddin Shaikh alias Guddya in Dhule, an official said here.
"He was arrested by a police team from a hideout in Kamshet in Pune district this afternoon and will be brought to Dhule on Sunday," said an official at the Dhule police control room.
The 33-year-old gangster was killed around 6.15 a.m on July 18 as he was having tea at a teashop on the busy Parola Road in the central part of Dhule.
Shortly after the incident, Dhule police had formed multiple teams to trace the assailants.
That morning, at least 10 members of a rival gang barged into the teashop and first shot him thrice with a country-made revolver. After he was incapacitated, they dragged him out of the shop, hacking him with curved swords.
Within a few minutes, the attackers inflicted at least 40 sword wounds and continued hacking him even after he had succumbed, eyewitnesses said.
Shaikh, who was out on bail, had several cases pending against him of extortion, attempt to murder, rape and murder in several districts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, the official said.
Some of the attackers identified by police included Vilas Goyar, his sons Vicky Goyar, Shyam Goyar and Vijay Goyar, and their associates Rajendra Devare, Bhima Devare and Dadu Devare.
The entire incident was recorded on the CCTV of a neighbouring building. The police took the footage into their custody to prevent it from going viral.
But the video somehow leaked out on Wednesday. Police are conducting a separate probe into the video leak.
--IANS
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