Stones and sharp weapons kills Dattatray Phuge, the man in gold shirt, four arrested including nephew

Pune, July 15: A 44-year-old man who shot to fame three years ago for making a Rs 1.27 crore shirt entirely of gold was killed by unidentified people with stones and sharp weapons early on Friday.

Police arrested four people in connection to Dattatray Phuge’s death, including his nephew, and said financial troubles could have been the motive for the murder.

Phuge – who had criminal cases against him — had floated a chit fund through which he collected money from several investors, police officials said.

Some of these investors had complained about financial irregularities in the past and could be behind his murder, sources said.

Phuge was also aspiring to contest assembly elections and had brawls with some of these investors, police added, according to a report by hindustantimes.com.

“After taking my husband to Bharatmata nagar in Dighi, they attacked him with stones and sharp weapons,” said Seema, who is an ex-corporator from the Nationalist Congress Party. She was dismissed from the post after it was found that she submitted a fake caste certificate.

Phuge’s pictures first appeared in the media after he wore a specially made shirt using 22-carat gold that weighed 3.5 kilogrammes. At the time, Phuge had maintained that he made the gold shirt to attract people’s attention.