Nagpur: A hit-and-run incident in Nagpur initially thought to be an accident has unfolded into a contract killing tied to a property dispute valued at more than Rs 300 crore.

Sources reveal that police investigating the hit-and-run discovered that a woman, seeking her in-laws’ property, offered Rs 1 crore to contract killers to have her father-in-law, 82-year-old Purushottam Puttewar, murdered. The incident occurred on May 22 when Puttewar was struck by a speeding car at Balaji Nagari in Nagpur. Initially treated as a bailable accident case, the driver and car were released. However, the intervention of a senior police official prompted a deeper investigation, resulting in the arrest of the daughter-in-law, Archana, along with her associates Sarthak Bagde and Dharmik.

According to a report, Archana’s police custody was not extended beyond the initial three days, causing a missed opportunity for the police to question her and corroborate the statements that might be made by her key accomplice, family driver Sarthak Bagde, who was apprehended by the crime branch.

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Police allege that co-accused Dharmik spent Rs 40,000, while Bagde contributed Rs 1.20 lakh to purchase the secondhand car that was used in the hit-and-run incident involving Purushottam. During interrogation, Dharmik confessed to receiving Rs 3 lakh from Archana, along with some gold, to carry out the task.

Police found cash and valuables at Dharmik’s residence during their investigation. The crime branch took Archana into custody on June 6 and requested a three-day remand from the court.

Archana, who holds the position of assistant director of town planning in Gadchiroli and Chandrapur, is one of the accused in this case.

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