Crime
Beed Sarpanch murder case: NCP Minister Dhananjay Munde resigns
Mumbai, March 4: Amid raging controversy over the brutal killing of Massajog Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde on Tuesday resigned following a directive from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Munde’s personal assistant visited CM Fadnavis’ ‘Sagar’ bungalow and submitted the Minister’s resignation letter to the Chief Minister’s Office.
Munde, who is diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy (partial paralysis), did not come in person as he preferred to stay at the official bungalow.
The opposition staged a protest at the entrance of Vidhan Bhavan, demanding the resignation of Munde and Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate, who was convicted by the Nashik court in a fake documents case.
Although Munde was reluctant to tender his resignation, it was CM Fadnavis who prevailed over him and asked him to step down, especially when the chorus was increasing from ruling and opposition parties and various social organisations.
Munde’s resignation comes a day after the photos and videos of Deshmukh’s murder went viral on TV channels.
He was asked to resign days after the 1800-page charge sheet filed by the state CID had named the Minister’s close associate Walmik Karad as the mastermind in the broad daylight murder of Santosh Deshmukh in December last year. The charge sheet has mentioned all eight accused, including Karad, though one accused Krishna Andhale is still missing.
Karad has already been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in connection with the extortion case, which was linked to the murder of Santosh Deshmukh. Munde was under tremendous pressure to submit his resignation, but he and the NCP took the stand that he would resign after the findings of the investigations by CID, special investigation team and judicial committee.
NCP president and Dy CM Ajit Pawar reiterated that the party has condemned the brutal killing of Massajog sarpanch, adding that it will take a call on Munde’s resignation after probe and the court order. Ajit Pawar had reminded Munde that he had himself submitted his resignation on moral grounds in the past after he was targeted over the irrigation scam. Thereafter, the Chief Minister left the decision of Munde’s resignation to Ajit Pawar.
The charge sheet was filed last week, along with matching voice samples of Karad and the company employees. CCTV footage showed the connection of the accused in the murder case with the extortion crime. The police sources said that after a CID investigation with the help of about 180 witnesses, Walmik was named as the mastermind of the crime. Evidence was been presented against eight accused, including Karad. The ‘digital’ evidence in this investigation, conducted under the guidance of Investigation Officer Basavaraj Teli, was examined and prepared by the forensic laboratory.
In the extortion case, Walmik has been accused of being the mastermind behind the crime. It has been mentioned in the charge sheet that he said, “End him as soon as he comes; otherwise, he will be forced to beg.”
Among the accused, Sudarshan Ghule and his accomplices were involved in organized crime. The charge sheet states that he and his accomplices committed 11 crimes in 10 years in Kej, Ambajogai in Beed district and Dharur and Kalamb in Dharashiv district.
According to the charge sheet, on October 8, 2024, Avaada Energy’s Land Acquisition Officer Shivaji Thopte went to meet Walmik Karad at his office in Parli at his request. Vishnu Chate was present at that time. At this time, Karad threatened, ‘If you want to keep the company running, pay Rs 2 crore or else stop all the work of Avada Company in Beed district.’
Further, on November 29, for the same demand, Sudarshan Ghule threatened, ‘Fulfill Walmik Anna’s demand and meet him. Do not start the work till then.’ Avadda Energy’s land acquisition officer Shivaji Thopte was abused and beaten up and threatened to pay Rs 2 crore or else the company would be closed.
Thereafter the company employees called and informed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh about the incident. Following this, Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh went to the site and requested Sudarshan Ghule and his associates, ‘Don’t close the company. Let people get employment.’
At that time, since Sudarshan Ghule was at the forefront in demanding extortion, the sarpanch threatened Santosh Deshmukh, saying that he would not leave him alive.
On the afternoon of November 29, 2024, Walmik Karad, Vishnu Chate, Sudarshan Ghule, Prateek Ghule, Sudhir Sangle and Krishna Andhale held a meeting at Vishnu Chate’s office in Kej and demanded that Avaada Energy should pay Rs 2 crore. They hatched a conspiracy on the recovery of ransom and also how to deal with Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
According to the charge sheet, Santosh Deshmukh was abducted and murdered at the Dongaon toll plaza on December 9 last year. Since the charge sheet was filed in the court within 80 days, it will now be difficult for the accused to get bail, said the police sources. The government has recently appointed senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as special prosecutor in the case.
Srinagar, June 5: Sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday carried out raids at multiple locations in Kashmir Valley as officials said these raids are part of an ongoing investigation into a terror funding and conspiracy case.
Assisted by police and the CRPF, NIA sleuths raided many locations in the Reban area of Shopian district, Nildoora and Chak-e-Choland in Kulgam district; Manzgam, Devsar, Sonigam and Bugam in Pulwama district; Sopore in Baramulla district and Kupwara district.
Reports said the NIA raids are going on at 32 locations in Jammu and Kashmir.
NIA sources said a statement would be issued by the agency after the conclusion of the day’s operations by its sleuths.
By the time this report was filed, there was no information available regarding any arrests or recoveries.
More details are awaited.
Sources said the searches were being conducted in a terror conspiracy case against overground workers (OGWs) of various terrorist organisations.
All high-profile crimes, including some dastardly terror attacks in the union territory, are being investigated by the NIA. The April 22 terror attack carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam is also being investigated by the NIA.
Terrorists killed 26 civilians, including one Naeplai national, after segregating them on the basis of religion in Baisaran. The innocent victims of terrorists included 25 tourists and a local pony owner who sacrificed his life while trying to save the tourists. All the victims, except one, were Hindus.
NIA is also investigating the Reasi terror attack carried out by terrorists on June 9, 2024, on a bus carrying pilgrims. Nine pilgrims were killed and 33 others, including women and children. They were killed when terrorists attacked a bus carrying pilgrims to Katra from the Shiv Khori temple.
The NIA arrested and investigated cases against JKLF chief, Yasin Malik, senior separatist leaders, Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan and MP Engineer Rashid.
Kolar, June 4: A man has been arrested on charges of raping and murdering an 80-year-old woman in Srinivasapura town of Karnataka’s Kolar district.
The police have apprehended the accused, who has since been remanded to judicial custody.
The accused has been identified as 37-year-old Baba Jaan, a resident of Gaffar Khan Mohalla in Srinivasapura.
According to the police, the victim’s body was discovered on Monday evening at a garage near an open field on Mulbagal Road in Srinivasapura town.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had been raped and murdered.
The victim had left home two days ago, informing her family that she would visit the church at Srinivasapura.
The woman stayed in Srinivasapura for two days, and on Monday evening, when the woman was waiting for a bus to return home, the accused targeted her.
The accused spoke to her to ensure she was alone.
He then allegedly lifted and carried her to an isolated place, where he brutally raped her before strangling her to death.
The accused also robbed Rs 15,000 from her bag.
During their investigation, the police obtained CCTV footage from a nearby shop, which captured the accused lifting the victim and hurriedly carrying her away.
While the police were gathering information, the accused returned to the crime scene to observe the unfolding events. Alert police personnel identified and apprehended him.
The accused later confessed to committing the crime to rob the victim’s money and jewellery.
The victim’s family has urged the police to “kill” the accused due to the heinous nature of the crime.
More details regarding the incident are yet to emerge.
On August 21, 2024, the Chintamani police had arrested a 28-year-old labourer for sexually assaulting a 65-year-old woman on the hospital premises in the wee hours.
Based on a complaint by the staffers at the Chintamani government hospital, the police launched a hunt and nabbed the accused.
Chandigarh, June 4: After YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan, Punjab Police on Wednesday claimed to have unearthed a critical espionage network linked to another YouTuber, Jasbir Singh, a resident of Rupnagar.
Jasbir Singh, who operates a YouTube channel called ‘JaanMahal’, has been found associated with Pakistani intelligence operative Shakir, alias Jutt Randhawa, part of a terror-backed espionage network.
He also maintained close contact with Haryana-based Jyoti Malhotra and Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled Pakistan High Commission official, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav informed on X.
Investigations have revealed that Jasbir attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi on Danish’s invitation, where he met Pakistani army officials and bloggers.
He travelled to Pakistan on three occasions (2020, 2021, 2024), and his electronic devices contained multiple Pakistan-based numbers, now under detailed forensic scrutiny, said the DGP.
After Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest, Jasbir attempted to erase all traces of his communications with these Pakistani intelligence operatives to avoid detection.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered in Mohali, near here. The DGP added that investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators.
A day earlier, Counter-Intelligence Punjab, in a joint operation with Tarn Taran police, had arrested a man linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for sharing sensitive information concerning army movements during Operation Sindoor.
The accused was identified as Gagandeep Singh, alias Gagan, a resident of Tarn Taran town.
DGP Yadav had said preliminary investigation has revealed that Gagandeep Singh was in direct contact with Pakistan-based Khalistani supporter Gopal Singh Chawla for past five years, through whom he was introduced to Pakistani intelligence operatives.
Investigations also revealed that the accused had been sharing classified information, including troop deployments, strategic locations, and army movements during Operation Sindoor, posing a serious threat to national security.
The DGP had said police teams have recovered two mobile devices from the possession of the accused, containing sensitive intelligence that he shared with the Pakistani intelligence operatives, as well as the details of over 20 ISI contacts.
The accused also received payments from operatives via Indian channels.
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