Sarpanch Murder: CID Summons Three Persons For Probe Into Extortion Case

A local court on Tuesday sent Walmik Karad, a close aide of minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, in 14-day custody of the CID.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Maharashtra Police has started a probe into an extortion case linked to the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh and summoned three persons for questioning, sources said on Wednesday.

A local court on Tuesday sent Walmik Karad, a close aide of minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, in 14-day custody of the CID, hours after he surrendered in Pune in the extortion case registered at the Kej police station in Beed district. The search for the absconding accused is also underway, sources added, while not disclosing the names of those summoned for inquiry.

Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Kej tehsil of Beed district, was abducted and brutally killed on December 9, allegedly for opposing an extortion bid by some persons who had demanded money from a windmill company. Four persons have been arrested in the murder case, while Karad was earlier named as an absconding accused in the extortion case. During the recently-held winter session of the Maharashtra legislature, the opposition had alleged that Karad was the "mastermind" of the murder. Karad, before he surrendered on Tuesday morning, claimed in a video that he was being falsely accused for reasons of political vendetta. Besides Karad, Vishnu Chate, a former NCP worker, has been arrested in the extortion case, while Sudarshan Ghule has been named as a wanted accused.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said nobody will be spared in the sarpanch's murder case and warned that 'gunda raj' will not be tolerated. Talking to reporters, Fadnavis said he had a telephonic conversation with Deshmukh's brother and assured him that justice will prevail in the case.