Ahmedabad: Police has got a new lead in the Rakesh Mehta murder case. Mehta, a BJP worker, refused to file a false affidavit in a property dispute case as per Montu Namdar, a small-time gangster. However, little did he know that his disagreements with the demands of Namdar cost him his life.
On June 8, Namdar with Vishu Rami, Jayraj Desai, Sunil Bajania, and two others beat Mehta to death. They used hockey sticks and bats to kill him near Hajira ni Pol in Khadia. Later, Pavan Gandhi, an Anandnagar resident and a long-term family enemy of Namdar, registered a complaint about the case. The police began an investigation after the fuss and started the probe.
Political And Family Disputes
Initial investigation reveals political rivalry and a three-decade-long enmity over marriage and two properties spurred the murder. In 1992, Namdar eloped with Namrata Gandhi, Pavan’s sister, and married her despite disapproval from her family and community.
According to the sources, Pavan Gandhi and his relatives murdered Girish, uncle of Namdar, on February 7, 1993. Apparently, Girish supported them while eloping. The court convicted and sentenced them to jail for life. However, the bench released Pavan and Gandhi in 2006-07.
When her father filed his will in 2020, Mukesh Gandhi did not plan to leave Namrata anything. A furious Namdar already had grudges with Mehta, a close family friend of pavan who signed the documents as a witness.
Four months ago, Namdar filed a complaint against Pavan and his family for forged property documents. He complained to the economic wing of the Ahmedabad Crime Branch. The two families are fighting over the properties located at Vatva-Gamdi village worth ₹50 crores.
Moreover, Namdar filed an appeal with the tax officer in Vastral. But, it is pending at present. “Namdar was pressuring Mehta to file testimony in support of his requests with police and the revenue officer. But Mehta constantly refused to do so after which Namdar planned to kill him in public sight,” said a police officer.
The Gandhi family filed a complaint alleging that Namdar disguised himself as a farmer to acquire the agricultural land in Vatva-Gamdi village. They also accused him of building a ₹100 crores of farmhouses on the acquired land. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch caught him for the same on June 9.
