E-Paper
Beed district witnessed 308 murders in past five years; 260 notices to cancel weapon licenses
The key suspects remain at large, prompting widespread protests by political groups and citizens, accusing the police and government of failing to curb the crime menace
The issue of rising crime in Beed has drawn national attention following the gruesome December 9 murder of the Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. The key suspects remain at large, prompting widespread protests by political groups and citizens, accusing the police and government of failing to curb the crime menace.
Against the backdrop of that, data shared by the local police revealed that a total of 308 murders were reported in the Beed district over the past five years, of which 295 have been detected. As many as 13 murder cases remain unsolved. This year, between January and November, 39 murders occurred, all of which have been solved, police said.
Besides the murders, 765 other crimes were registered in the last five years, with 760 cases solved and five still under investigation.
Beed police data further revealed that 782 rape cases were registered in the past five years, with 777 solved and five remaining undetected. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the district saw an alarming spike in murders—32 in 2020 and 59 in 2021.
In 2024, Beed police registered 39 murder cases from January to November, solving all of them. Officials noted that 2024 recorded the highest number of criminal offences in five years, including 177 attempted murder cases.
Newly appointed Beed Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat said, “Violation of law will not be tolerated. The situation in the district is being brought under control. Citizens should not live in fear and can contact me 24/7. No criminal will be spared, and Beed will be made crime-free.”
Amid these developments, Additional Collector Shivkumar Swami has issued notices to 260 licensed weapon holders, demanding they justify why their licenses should not be cancelled due to FIRs registered against them.
Swami said, “We issued notices based on reports from the Beed SP office. License holders must file their response before December 31. If they fail to do so, further action will be taken as per the provisions of the Arms Act, 1959.”
Initially, a police investigation found that 16 individuals with criminal records held arms licenses in the district. A more detailed probe uncovered 260 such cases. The police submitted a proposal to the district administration to cancel these licenses, but the process faced delays until notices were issued on December 26.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has also directed authorities to cancel weapon licenses of individuals posting selfies with guns on social media. Former IAS officer Sadanand Koche, who previously served as Beed’s district collector, wrote in his Marathi book “Beedchi Lokshahi: Ek Bhayan Vastav” (Democracy of Beed: A Law unto Itself) about carrying a loaded revolver for self-protection while serving in the district.
