IndianOil sales manager Mahesh Shelke was killed during an operation to seal a petrol station in Hingoli district. Police said all five suspects were arrested within 24 hours.
Police said Shelke, 37, arrived in Chondhi village with company staff to take over the station after a dispute with the family that operated it. Talks lasted several hours but failed to resolve the standoff. Investigators said the preliminary inquiry points to Umesh Pandavveer as the alleged attacker. Police say other suspects threw stones.
Hingoli police chief Shrenik Lodha said the five arrested were 46-year-old Latabai Pandavveer, her son Umesh, and three acquaintances. Police registered a case involving murder, attempted murder, unlawful assembly and rioting. The accusations have not been tested in court.
Shelke worked at Indian Oil Corporation’s Nanded office. He studied mechanical engineering in Pune, joined IndianOil in 2014 and was transferred to Maharashtra in 2024. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri called the attack “heinous and unacceptable” and said his ministry would support Shelke’s family. IndianOil chairman A. S. Sahney told PTI the company was seeking swift and stringent action.