Accused dug pits using JCB driver by luring him with ‘hidden treasure’ claim

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

In the murder of professor Rajaram Londhe, police have revealed that the main accused, Vishal Rathod, got pits dug a few days before the crime by misleading a JCB driver with the promise of hidden treasure in the fields of Gevrai Tanda.

Rathod allegedly told the driver that treasure was buried there and promised him half the share if it was found. Lured by the offer, the driver dug two pits free of cost about 200 metres apart. Rathod, a reel creator who also worked in event management, had already planned to bury Londhe’s body at the site and asked for the second pit to be dug further away, claiming people often came there for morning walks. On the morning of March 6, Rathod and two associates allegedly buried Londhe’s body in one of the pits. When some soil remained piled above, which could raise suspicion, Rathod called the same driver two days later and asked him to level the ground, claiming people might suspect hidden treasure if the dug-up soil remained visible. Police said the driver was unaware that the pits were used to bury a murdered person. Investigators will record his statement as part of the probe.