Firing at builder’s house, office in Ambernath; 2 detained

THANE: Two unidentified men on a motorcycle opened fire at the residence and office of a builder, Vishwanath Panvelkar, in Ambernath East on Monday afternoon. No one was injured and two suspects have been detained.

A case has been registered at the Shivajinagar police station and an investigation is underway, said deputy commissioner of police Sachin Gore.

According to police, Panvelkar’s residence, Sitai Sadan, is a five-storey building near Hutatma Chowk. It includes Panvelkar’s residence and his office, which is on the ground floor.

The shooting has been captured on CCTV by cameras outside the residence. The footage shows two bike-borne men arriving at 2:03 pm, without helmets, and stopping directly in front of the building, next to Panvelkar’s office. The pillion rider briefly alights, quickly gets back on the bike, and fires two bullets at the gate, before fleeing. Passersby and residents in the vicinity were aghast.

Vishwanath Panvelkar and his family were not present at the time of the shooting, although some of his staff were in his office, police said.

“No threatening calls have been received by the family so far. We are trying to identify who is behind the attack,” said Gore.

A witness, Harshdeep Utekar, who was in an autorickshaw opposite Panvelkar’s residence when the incident took place, said, “This is a market area and it’s usually crowded here. The bikers overtook our rickshaw just a minute before the incident. They stopped in front of the builder’s building and opened fire. We were all shocked and stood still as the accused vanished. Although Ambernath was once known for gang wars, we thought those days were over. This is horrifying.”

Police said the attack appears to have been intended to spread fear but the motive could be confirmed only if the shooters are apprehended. Sources said Panvelkar had received a threating phone call two years ago concerning a construction site in Badlapur. They said he has provided several names linked to the incident to the police, who are including them in their investigation.