Pune: A bar-cum-restaurant owner (34) was shot dead on Thursday morning in Shirur, about 70km from the city, three months after he had a tiff with the assailant over a liquor bill.The Pune Rural police identified the bar-cum-restaurant owner as Harish alias Hari Gangavane. “We have fanned teams to trace the assailant and his two accomplices,” inspector Vinod Patil of Shirur police said.Gangavane was murdered around 6.30am at Late Ali lane of Ambedkarnagar in Shirur. He was driving a scooter, while a friend was riding pillion. The scooter was moving at a slow speed because the lane was narrow.“The assailant and his accomplice walked behind the scooter and fired two bullets at Gangavane from a close range. The victim and his friend fell off the scooter. Gangavane’s friend picked up a stone and tried to chase the assailant and his accomplice. But they fled after firing two rounds in the air,” an officer from the Pune Rural police said.The police said one bullet pierced Gangavane’s neck, while another brushed against his shoulder. Gangavane’s friend took him to a nearby hospital with the help of the residents of the area, where doctors declared him dead.The Pune Rural police officer said, “We have ascertained the identities of the assailant and his aide with the help of the CCTV footage. One more accomplice of the assailant has been identified.”The officer said the early morning gunshots created panic in the Late Ali lane area. Residents gathered at the spot.Police inspector Patil said Gangavane ran a bar-cum-restaurant in Shirur. Prima facie investigations revealed that the assailant and Gangavane had a dispute over the payment of a liquor bill at the latter’s bar about three months ago. “Gangavane had beaten up the accused then,” Patil said.The officer said the duo had been having heated arguments since then. Gangavane consumed liquor and sat near a Ganesh mandal in Shirur on Wednesday night. “The assailant went there late in the night, had a heated argument with Gangavane and left the spot,” the officer said.The uncle of the assailant stays near that mandal. Patil said Gangavane went to his house before leaving the spot in the early hours of Thursday and complained about the assailant. The uncle subsequently called the assailant and reprimanded the latter.“The assailant immediately went there with his aide and followed Gangavane. He shot Gangavane from a close range and fled,” Patil said.Gangavane’s body was sent to Sassoon General Hospital in Pune for post-mortem. The police have increased the deployment in Shirur to avoid any untoward incident against the backdrop of Ganesh festival.
