Two including mastermind arrested from Pune in sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder case

The arrests follow the surrender of another accused in a separate extortion case, who turned himself in to the CID earlier this week in Pune

Pune: Police in Beed have arrested two men in connection with the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog, who was killed for allegedly attempting to thwart an extortion bid targeting a wind energy project in the region. Sudarshan Chandrabhan Ghule, 26, of Takli in Kej, and Sudhir Dnyanoba Sangale, 23, of Takali, were apprehended in Pune, officials said on Saturday.

Sarpanch killing: In this file photo, Congress leaders and Jarange-Patil are seen with a picture of the sarpanch

The arrests follow the surrender of another accused in a separate extortion case, who turned himself in to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) earlier this week in Pune. According to Beed police, Ghule, described by investigators as the mastermind behind Deshmukh’s killing, and Sangale have been handed over to the CID for further investigation.

“During interrogation, we obtained critical information about the whereabouts of the accused from Dr Sambhaji Waybhase, who is also being questioned,” police said in a statement. The two suspects were located with the assistance of technical experts and arrested.

Police allege that Deshmukh, a former sarpanch, was murdered after intervening to prevent an extortion attempt on Avaada Energy, which operates a windmill project in the area. Valmik Karad, an aide of Minister Dhananjay Munde, is accused of demanding ₹2 crore from the company’s officials.

Investigators said Vishnu Chate, one of the suspects in the extortion case, revealed details of a conversation between Karad and the project manager of Avaada Energy. Based on this information and further questioning of Waybhase, police tracked down Ghule and Sangale.

The accused have been remanded to the custody of Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Gujar, who leads the CID probe. Karad remains in custody, having surrendered to the CID on December 31.

The Kej police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under sections 103(2), 140(1), 126, 118(1), 34(4), 324(4)(5), 189(2), and 192 of the Bharati Nyay Sanhita against Ghule, Sangale, and other suspects, excluding Karad.

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