PUNE: Two elderly women were allegedly murdered by an unidentified person while they were sleeping in the verandahs outside their homes at Sherewadi village, Baramati taluka, in the early hours of Tuesday. In a separate incident, two youths were seriously injured after a group allegedly attacked them with sickles at the busy Rajhans Chowk in Malegaon, Baramati taluka, Monday evening.
The deceased women have been identified as Indumati Maruti Ladkat, 75; and Krishnabai Kundalik Ladkat, 65 – both residents of Sherewadi. Indumati was a former sarpanch of Baburdi village. She is survived by two sons; one works as a gram sevak in Baramati while the other is employed in Bengaluru. Whereas Krishnabai has a son engaged in farming in the village, who was present at the spot after the incident; the police said.
According to the police, the two women were sleeping outside their respective homes when an unidentified person allegedly slit their throats. The double murder - the motive behind which is yet to be ascertained - came to light after the women were found dead outside their homes. Police teams rushed to the spot and began an investigation.
Assistant police inspector Shashikant Shelke of Supa police station said that some jewellery belonging to the women was missing, and there were signs that their homes had been ransacked. “Some jewellery belonging to the deceased women is missing, and there are signs that the person broke into their homes,” Shelke said.
{{/usCountry}}Assistant police inspector Shashikant Shelke of Supa police station said that some jewellery belonging to the women was missing, and there were signs that their homes had been ransacked. “Some jewellery belonging to the deceased women is missing, and there are signs that the person broke into their homes,” Shelke said.
{{/usCountry}}The police suspect that the murders may have occurred during an attempted robbery, although no conclusion has been reached yet. A forensic team, fingerprint experts and a dog squad were called to the scene to collect evidence and assist the investigators in identifying the accused. The police are also questioning people in the area and examining the circumstances surrounding the double murder.
In the other incident, two youths – Aniket Dhumal and Pappu Jagtap – were seriously injured after a group attacked them with sickles. Both were rushed to a private hospital in Baramati city, where they are undergoing treatment. Their condition is reported to be serious.
According to preliminary information, Dhumal and Jagtap were at Rajhans Chowk at around 8.20 pm when a group approached them. An argument broke out between the two sides following which, the group allegedly assaulted the two youths with sickles before fleeing the spot.
The incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the area. The police are examining the footage to identify those involved and establish their roles. Two minors have been detained in connection with the assault, while the search is on for the other accused; the police said. Investigators are also probing the reason for the attack and whether the accused and the injured youths knew each other. A case has been registered at the Malegaon police station and further investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, the two incidents have prompted Baramati MP Supriya Sule to raise concerns over the law-and-order situation in the taluka. In a statement on social media platform X, Sule said that the armed attack in the Malegaon area and the murder of the two women at Baburdi-Sherewadi were ‘serious’ incidents from a law-and-order perspective. She said such incidents have created a sense of insecurity among residents. Sule also claimed that incidents involving assaults, intimidation and violence have been occurring repeatedly in Baramati taluka over the past few months. She said that the incidents indicate that criminals are not sufficiently deterred by the law. She urged the state home minister to take serious note of the incidents and initiate immediate steps to curb crime in the area.