In a major breakthrough, Dheeraj Hiranwar and his son Ritik were arrested by the Ambazari police on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the murder of Avinash Bhusari on April 15, a killing tied to the ongoing Hiranwar-Sheikhu gang war. The father-son duo was apprehended in Chamadiya Basti, a stronghold of the Hiranwar gang, and were subsequently handed over to the crime branch after undergoing medical examinations.
Following Bhusari’s murder, Dheeraj, Ritik, and other family members fled the city and were transported to Mumbai by Rishabh Wankhede, a close associate of Bunty Hiranwar. Rishabh, along with Simran Lokhande (a close friend of Bunty), was also arrested.
Police investigations have revealed that Dheeraj ran an illegal money-lending business and had funded the murder of Bhusari as an act of revenge for the death of his son, Pawan, who had been killed earlier by the Sheikhu gang. Pawan’s murder was orchestrated by Bhusari’s cousin, Aviraj, in January of the same year.
In total, 15 people have been arrested in connection with the case. However, Shaheed Shaikh, a key aide of Hiranwar who is suspected of procuring firearms from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, remains on the run. The gang’s leader, Bunty Hiranwar, is already in police custody, and authorities have recovered three firearms and ammunition from the group.