Overview

• Avinash Raman Dhodi, the victim’s 60-year-old brother and prime suspect, was taken into custody in Morkhal, Silvassa, on June 8 after eluding police for five months.
• Investigators allege he and accomplices intercepted Ashok Dhodi’s car at Vevji Ghat on January 19 and murdered the Shiv Sena leader over a dispute triggered by the cancellation of his house lease.
• Police traced Ashok Dhodi’s abandoned vehicle to a water-filled quarry at Sarigam Wadiapada in Gujarat, where they later recovered his body.
• A Gholwad police station FIR registered on January 27 charges the accused under sections covering kidnapping, murder, criminal intimidation and related offences of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
• A dedicated task force conducted searches across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Indore and Rajasthan before the arrest, and authorities continue pursuing three other suspects.