Pune’s ‘ gold shirt’ man murdered
Pune, July 15: A 48- year- old businessman from Pune, who shot into the limelight after buying a ‘ gold shirt”’ worth over ` 1 crore some years back, was allegedly bludgeoned to death in front of his son, the police said on Friday.
Datta Phuge, the businessman from the industrial township of PimpriChinchwad in the district, had become the talk of the town after he presented himself a “gold shirt” weighing about 3.5 kg and worth ` 1.27 crore in 2012.
At least 12 persons attacked Phuge at an open ground in the Dighi area here at around 11.30 pm on Thursday with stones and a sharp weapon, killing him on the spot.
“As per preliminary information, Phuge and his son were invited by one of the suspects, who knew each other, to celebrate a birthday. However, we are investigating how Phuge reached the open ground where he was murdered,” Dighi police station inspector Navnath Ghogare said.
Phuge’s 22- year- old son, who too had reached the spot following a similar “birthday” invitation and witnessed his father’s murder, was spared by the attackers, the police said.
Datta Phuge, the husband of a former corporator from Pimpri- Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, was into money lending and chit fund business.
The cops suspect that some dispute over a money transaction could be the reason behind the gory murder.
“We have detained four persons and suspect that dispute over a money transaction between them could be the motive behind his murder,” said Mr Ghogare.