Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Reel star Vishal Rathod (24), accused of murdering retired professor Rajaram Londhe (resident of Jyotinagar), along with a female reel star, had financial dealings worth lakhs with Londhe. These transactions were formalised through stamped agreements, which have been seized by the police. The documents mention that the money was given for producing films and songs. However, there is no evidence that the accused returned the money. Police are now probing why Londhe and Vishal remained in constant touch and frequently went out together despite the alleged financial dispute.
Vishal Rathod, along with his brother-in-law Akash Vinod Pawar (32, both residents of Gevrai Tanda), allegedly shot Londhe in the head on February 6. Vishal, who evaded the police for 30 days, was eventually trapped following statements from a female friend and another woman who had visited the farmhouse. Preliminary investigation suggests that apart from a financial dispute, Vishal was also angered by certain remarks made by Londhe about women in his personal life. However, police are probing whether there were additional motives behind the murder.
On Monday, the crime branch summoned Vishal’s reel star friend for questioning. Statements of two women present at the farmhouse and another individual were also recorded.
Questions puzzling the police
Vishal and Londhe, who met in 2023, developed close relations within a short time. Vishal, obsessed with making a film titled ‘Lala’, had taken Rs 50 lakh from Londhe about a year ago.
---- Despite not returning the earlier amount, Londhe reportedly gave him another Rs 50 lakh in December 2025. Why did Londhe give more money without recovering the previous amount?
--------If there were disputes over money, why did Londhe and Vishal continue to meet frequently and attend parties together?
-------Why did Londhe also enter into a formal agreement and give lakhs of rupees to Vishal’s woman friend, who is also a reel star?
Beer before the murder, whisky later
Before the murder, Vishal consumed some beer, while Akash had four to five pegs of liquor. Londhe was allegedly made to consume around 700 ml of alcohol. This revelation contradicted the accused’s earlier claim that they were too intoxicated to remember events clearly. When confronted with these facts during interrogation, both reportedly faltered.
‘That’ woman linked to multi-crore scamsters
Sources said that a major scam worth crores was exposed in Bidkin in 2021, and the woman who allegedly took lakhs from Londhe was in contact with one of the key accused in that case. She is also a social media creator and claims to have worked in several films and albums in Mumbai. Police are now probing how she came into contact with Londhe, and investigators believe that uncovering this link could expose a larger network.