Neighbors of Vidhit Jadhav, the personal security officer of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was among the victims in the plane crashHe said he never spoke about his “high-profile” post. Many in the locality came to know about his mission only after seeing his photograph with Ajit Pawar on a television news channel.
Residents of Thane’s Vitawa area described Jadhav as reserved and soft-spoken, someone who largely kept to himself. According to them, it was only after a neighbor recognized him in a television picture that the family confirmed his assignment with Ajit Pawar’s security team.
Originally from Satara, Jadhav joined the Bombay Police in 2009 and was later posted in the Special Protection Unit (SPU) of the State Intelligence Department (SID), from where he was posted as Ajit Pawar’s security officer. He lived with his parents, wife and two children in Surya Nagar area of Vitawa in Thane (east). Neighbors said they often saw him leaving the house early in the morning to go to work.
Rishi Borse, who lived opposite Jadhav’s residence and was close to the family, remembers seeing him leaving for work on his motorcycle on the day of the incident. “Bala Mama (as Jadhav was fondly called) left on a bike while I was going to college. He said he was in a hurry and was going to work.”
While Borse knew that “work” meant security duties with Ajit Pawar, he said most people in the area were unaware of the nature of Jadhav’s position. “Mom didn’t like to talk about his duty. Another person would have boasted about it, but he was embarrassed if anyone found out. He was never arrogant about it,” he said.
Another resident, Vidya Sane, said residents learned about Jadhav’s mission only after watching him on television. “It wasn’t until we saw his photograph with Ajit Pawar in the news that we asked his family and found out. Although he largely kept to himself and was away for work on most occasions, his family was sociable and we confirmed to them that he was working with Dada.”
Critical timeline: VT-SSK, Learjet 45 aircraft, January 28, 2026
Take off: Learjet 45 leaves Mumbai airport
5 on board: Pawar, PSO Jadhav, assistant Mali, pilots Kapoor and Pathak
Plane tracked on Mumbai-Baramati route via Flightradar24
Flight route: Mumbai → Pune → Baramati
Source: Flightradar24
Radar loss: The aircraft disappears from tracking
Final approach loop pattern detected before accident
“Plane makes noise during landing… leaves runway, big explosion”
eyewitness account
Bombardier Learjet 45, VSR aviation operator
Twin-engine executive jet, 6-seat capacity
Mumbai-Pune trip for four election rallies
Zilla Parishad polls: February 5 voting, February 7 results
Express InfoGenIE
Borse also recalled Jadhav’s interest in action and security related shows. “Every time a new show of that genre came on, he would watch it immediately and give me recommendations. Mainly when he was off duty, he would watch shows on his mobile phone with headphones plugged in,” he said. He added that Jadhav often encouraged him to exercise and apply to the police academy.
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Aruna Vidhate, another neighbor, said Jadhav’s wife, Sandhya, worked at a nearby hospital and his father had retired as a school employee. “He had two children, a 13-year-old girl, Netra, and a nine-year-old son, Advik.”
Chanda Ringe, another resident, said Jadhav’s father had left for his native place two days earlier, while his wife and daughter had gone to his mother’s house. When the incident occurred, only Jadhav’s mother and son were at home. “When we found out, we rushed to her house. She and her grandson Advik were crying. Soon a police team reached the house and then the family left for their native place in Satara,” Ringe said.
