Body of murdered schoolboy’s cousin found in well

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

(WITH 2 PHOTOS)

A wave of fear gripped Muddesh Wadgaon in Gangapur tehsil after two suspicious deaths rocked the village within just three days.

A 12-year-old schoolboy Siddharth Chavan was murdered on August 14, and on Monday, his cousin Swapnil Chavan (22) was found dead in a well. Siddharth, son of farmer Vijay Chavan, lived near the Wasti school at Hakigatpur and studied in class VI at the local ZP school. On Thursday, after returning home from school, he rode his bicycle to the village to buy biscuits but never returned. Around 9 pm, his body was pulled out of a well in survey no. 36 with injuries that clearly indicated murder. Based on a complaint by his mother, Sunita Chavan, police registered a murder case against an unidentified person. Investigators claimed to have obtained crucial leads in the case. While police were still probing Siddharth’s killing, another twist shocked the village. His cousin, Swapnil Chavan, who had gone with his brother to the fields on Saturday morning to collect fodder, went missing. On Monday afternoon, his elder brother Uday lodged a missing complaint at Gangapur police station. Hours later, around 4 pm, villagers found Swapnil’s body in a well located in survey no. 18, belonging to Santosh Gangadhar Chavan. Panic spread across the locality as news of the second death surfaced. Local crime branch officer Rajput and Gangapur police inspector Kumarsing Rathod immediately reached the spot with their teams and conducted a detailed inspection. The back-to-back deaths of two cousins within four days have left the village tense and suspicious. Police are now probing whether Siddharth’s murder and Swapnil’s death are linked, or if both point towards a deeper conspiracy.

Suicide to cover up murder?

Villagers whisper that Swapnil might have killed Siddharth and dumped his body in the well. Overcome by fear of being exposed, he is suspected to have died by suicide. Police, however, have not confirmed this theory. They continue to investigate both cases thoroughly in coordination with the local crime branch. Superintendent of Police Vinay kumar Rathod will address a press conference at the SP office on Tuesday afternoon, where police are expected to reveal the facts behind the two incidents.