Pune-based builder Nikhil Rane (41) was shot in the back by an unidentified man on the staircase of Anant Chambers on J M Road, where his office is situated, around 12.15 pm on Monday.
Rane, proprietor of Rane Constructions and son of prominent lawyer R G Rane, was admitted to the Sancheti hospital, where his condition was stated to be ‘critical’.
Sancheti hospital chairman Dr Parag Sancheti said the bullet got lodged in Rane’s neck through his back. “The bullet was removed following a four-hour surgery. We have stabilised the spine with a plate. He has been put on the ventillator and his condition is critical. He will be under observation for 48 hours.”
Deputy commissioner of police (zone-I) Dnyaneshwar Phadtare told TOI that the bullet entered Rane’s spinal cord and not vital organs. “The assailant may have used a country made revolver, but we are awaiting medical reports and we need to examine the bullet before arriving at any conclusion,” he said, adding that the police would record Rane’s statement later. Rane, a resident of Bhosalenagar at Chatushrungi, was climbing the staircase of his office on the second floor when the assailant fired at him from behind, Phadtare said, adding that Rane immediately collapsed. The victim’s brother Sunil Rane, who is also a builder and has an office on the first floor in the same building, and some employees took him to hospital, he said.
“The incident happened in a crowded place, but nobody seems to have seen the assailant,” he said.
The police are trying to establish the motive behind the crime and investigating various angles like whether the incident took place due to business rivalry or if it was an extortion bid, Phadtare said.
Sunil Rane said, “I was working in my office when I heard a noise. I rushed to the staircase and found Nikhil unconscious. I saw a hole in his back and, with the help of employees, rushed him to the hospital in a car at 12.40 pm”.
Senior police inspector Sampat Patil of the Shivajinagar police station said the office employees initially thought that the window pane might have broken after they heard the noise of the firing, but they found Nikhil lying on the staircase and alerted the police.
Assistant commissioner of police (city division) Ranjit Dhure said, “We cannot tell you anything about the motive behind the incident as investigation is at a crucial stage. Sunil has lodged a complaint and we have registered cases of attempted murder against the unidentified person under sections 307 of the IPC and 3 (25) of the Arms Act”.
My son is a loving person, says mom
Pune: Nikhil is a loving person and not involved in politics, said his mother, Shalini Rane, who was city Congress president between 1980 and 1985. “My son does not have any enmity with anyone. He did not receive any threats. I am deeply shocked,” she told TOI.
“Nikhil is a law graduate from Symbiosis, but he is not a practising lawyer. He had started the construction business when he was 22 years old. He got the best builder’s award last year,” Shalini Rane added.
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