MUMBAI: A Shiv Sena deputy shakha pramukh, Sachin Sawant , was shot dead from close range by two motorbike-borne men in Kandivli (east) late on Sunday. The sequence of events was eerily similar to the murder of former Sena corporator Ashok Sawant in January.

The motive to kill Sachin is likely to be a property dispute or a financial fallout, said Sena workers. The 46-year-old was in the Sena for two decades and expected to be promoted as shakha pramukh soon.

During 8-9pm, Sunday, Sachin was at Gokul Nagar, Kandivli, riding pillion on a Royal Enfield. Someone called out to him from behind, addressing him as 'Bhau’. When the bike halted and Sachin turned around, the two motorcycle-borne men came up close and on the pretext of whispering in his ear, shot him.

The doctor on duty at the civic-run Ambedkar Hospital, Kandivli, said Sachin was brought in at 8.20pm with a puncture wound in the centre of his chest. “We (are waiting for an) autopsy. He was brought dead to the hospital,” the doctor said. After a police panchnama, the body was taken to the mortuary. The autopsy will be done in Borivli on Monday. The killers are believed to have fired four to six rounds, though the police refused to confirm.

In 2009 too, Sachin had been shot at, but he survived. “The police haven’t been able to trace the assailants even after all these years,” said Sena deputy vibhag pramukh Vishnu Sawant.

The Kurar police have registered a case of murder in connection with Sachin's death. CCTV footage from the crime scene is being scanned. The crime branch is conducting a parallel probe.

(Inputs: Ambarish Mishra)

