Three individuals arrested in connection with the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh have been remanded to 14-day custody by a court in Kej, Maharashtra’s Beed district.
The accused Sudarshan Chandrabhan Ghule (26), Sudhir Sangle (23), and Siddharth Sonawane are now in the custody of the state CID until January 18.
Deshmukh was tragically murdered on December 9 after attempting to intervene in an extortion attempt against an energy company operating a windmill project in Beed. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Maharashtra CID arrested Ghule and Sangle from Pune, while Sonawane was apprehended in Kalyan, Thane district.
According to the police, all three are linked to organized crime and are accused of threatening companies setting up projects in the region.
The police also revealed that Sonawane had provided Ghule and the other accused with information about Deshmukh’s whereabouts, facilitating the murder.
In addition to the trio, several other individuals have been named in connection with Deshmukh’s murder, including Pratik Ghule, Vishnu Chate, Mahesh Kedar, and Siddharth Sonawane. One other suspect, Krushna Andhale, remains at large.
The extortion case related to the murder has led to further arrests, with Vishnu Chate, Sudarshan Ghule, and Walmik Karad taken into custody. These individuals are accused of extorting businesses in the area, a crime that ultimately escalated into the murder of Deshmukh.
The investigation continues as authorities pursue all leads in connection with the murder and extortion scheme.
Read More: Pani Puri Vendors Issue GST Notice As Digital Payments Push Turnover Beyond Rs 40 Lakh
