Pune's 'Gold man' hacked to death before his son

Pune-based businessman Datta Phuge who became popular as the "gold man" after he was photographed in a shirt made of gold a few years ago, was hacked to death last night.

The 48-year-old man was found dead at a ground on Friday morning.

It was alleged that Phuge was attacked by a couple of men who slashed him with a sickle and then struck him with stones, in front of his 22-year-old son who was left unharmed.

According to the NDTV news report, the police confirmed that Phuge and his son were invited by one of the suspects for a birthday party and four men have been detained so far 

The wealthy businessman shot to fame, four years ago, when he struck a pose in a 22-carat gold shirt worth over ₹1 crore. The shirt bedazzled with Swarovski crystal buttons and a gold belt was billed as world's most expensive apparel, said the report.

The shirt weighing 3.5 kilograms was handcrafted by 15 workers from Bengal.

Member of the Nationalist Congress Party, Phuge became popular for his one-of-a-kind gold shirt.

The businessmen who owned a money-lending and chit fund business was also accused of misappropriating funds.

• Crimes in Pune
• Maharashtra police