Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, April 10: A 26-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her husband at a petrol pump in the Karmad area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Thursday afternoon, police said. The incident unfolded in front of staff members and several customers, leaving those present in shock.

In a fit of rage, the husband allegedly took out a knife and slit the victim’s throat. The accused, identified as Satyam Gavande, was arrested shortly after the crime.

The deceased, Pooja Gavande, worked at a fuel station near the Ganapati temple in Karmad. According to police, Satyam arrived at the petrol pump on a two wheeler and confronted her while she was attending to her duties.

What began as an argument quickly escalated into violence.

Police officials said the couple had been facing ongoing marital discord and were living separately. Pooja had married Satyam around six months ago after the death of her first husband.

Superintendent of Police Vinaykumar Rathod said the accused had been pressuring her for a divorce as he wanted to remarry. However, she had refused, reportedly keeping in mind the future of her two young children from her first marriage.

During the confrontation, the accused allegedly pulled out a knife, pushed Pooja to the ground and attacked her repeatedly before anyone could intervene. She died on the spot.

The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed at the petrol pump and is now a key part of the investigation.

Sources said the petrol pump owner attempted to stop the attack but was threatened with the weapon. The accused then tried to flee, causing panic among those present.

Police teams reached the spot soon after being alerted, sent the body for postmortem and registered a case of murder. The accused was traced to Kachner village and arrested within a short span.

Mumbai: The special POCSO court has refused to grant bail to a Ghatkopar resident, a 38-year-old cricket coach arrested on the complaint of his 13-year-old student for repeated penetrative sexual assault and harassment, observing that he may repeat the crime with other girls and may also abscond.

The case was lodged with Deonar police station, wherein a 13-year-old girl alleged that when she was attending cricket coaching, the accused was working as a cricket coach.

She claimed that the accused touched her inappropriately and repeatedly sexually assaulted her, because of which she often had severe stomach pain.

The coach, on the other hand, pleaded that he is innocent and has not committed any alleged crime. He claimed that the case filed against him is false. He stated that he had lodged a case against two persons and, as a counter to that, the present case was lodged.

The plea, however, was opposed by the prosecution, wherein it was pointed out that the coach was also booked in another case registered by a 16-year-old girl for molestation.

It was claimed that there was a CCTV camera at the spot, which was destroyed by the accused with the intention to tamper with the prosecution evidence.

The victim girl too had objected to the bail plea, claiming that she was doing the practice of cricket and also attending tuition; if the accused is released on bail, again there are chances of repetition of crime.

The court, after hearing arguments, noted that, “age of the victim girl is only 13 years. There is an allegation of penetrative assault. Medical evidence is also on record. Nature of the offence is serious, further it is also alleged that there was a CCTV camera at the incident spot, which was destroyed by the accused to disappear the prosecution evidence.”

“If, in this situation, the accused is released on bail, there are chances of repetition of crime with minor girls and also there are chances of absconding of accused,” the court said, rejecting the bail plea.

Mumbai: A widening investigation into self-styled godman Ashokkumar Eknath Kharat uncovered an alleged financial network involving more than 130 bank accounts and transactions exceeding Rs 63 crore, with fresh revelations pointing to possible administrative complicity.

The probe gained momentum after a Mumbai-based hotelier received a call from Ahilyanagar Police earlier this month, informing him that over Rs 2.43 crore had been routed through four bank accounts in his and his wife’s names, accounts he claims he never opened. The hotelier suspects that documents he had shared with Kharat for a ‘darshan booking’ were misused to open these accounts.

“We visited him believing he was a spiritual healer,” the hotelier said, adding that he and his family had never visited or interacted with the credit society where the accounts were opened.

Cops believe this case is not isolated. According to complaints and bank records reviewed during the probe, documents collected from followers, visitors and even alleged victims were systematically used to open multiple bank accounts. These accounts were then allegedly used to route large sums of money between 2021 and 2024, according to the report.

Authorities have identified a recurring pattern: individuals approached Kharat for spiritual consultations or predictions and were asked to submit personal documents such as Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and photographs. These documents were then allegedly used without their knowledge to open bank accounts, into which funds were deposited and circulated.

Kharat Used Cooperative Credit Societies To Move Money

A huge number of these accounts were reportedly opened in the names of two cooperative credit societies, Jagdamba Cooperative Credit Society and Samata Nagari Sahakari Pat Sanstha, both linked to Kharat and his associates. Records show that Kharat served as chairman of the Jagdamba society until 2024, while the Samata society is linked to his co-accused Arvind Pandurang Bawke. A majority of the financial transactions are believed to have occurred during their tenure.

So far, over 100 suspect accounts have been traced to the Samata society, while around 32 are linked to Jagdamba. Investigators also found that Kharat was listed as a nominee in at least 100 accounts, with his mobile number appearing across several of them.

The case, which initially involved charges of sexual assault, cheating, extortion and violations under anti-superstition laws, has now expanded into a major financial probe. The Enforcement Directorate has also registered a money laundering case against Kharat.