Maharashtra Shock: Financial Dispute Leads to Premeditated Killing of Ex-College HOD in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar; Four Arrested

A shocking crime has come to light in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where retired HOD of a government engineering college, Rajabhau Subrao Londhe, has been found murdered. Londhe had been missing for the past 40 days, and his family had lodged a formal complaint after his sudden disappearance on February 5, 2026. A thorough investigation revealed that the killing was meticulously planned over financial disputes. In a calculated move to destroy evidence, the perpetrators buried his body in a deep pit in a forested area. The incident has sent shockwaves across the entire district.

Details of the Crime and Investigation

Rajabhau Londhe had retired from the government engineering college in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Following his unexplained disappearance, police initially struggled to find leads. Subsequently, the crime branch utilized CCTV footage and technical analysis to narrow down suspects, eventually focusing on the main accused, Vishal Rathod. Investigators discovered that Rathod had dug two large pits in the forest near Gevrai Tanda days before the murder, misleading the JCB operator by claiming he was searching for hidden treasure. This premeditated planning points to the cold-blooded and deliberate nature of the crime, shocking local authorities and residents alike.

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Execution of the Murder and Arrests

On the night of February 5, Londhe was taken to a farmhouse in Daulatabad under the pretext of a party and forced to consume alcohol heavily. During the return journey near a railway bridge in Sajapur, Rathod allegedly shot Londhe in the head and later buried him in the pre-dug pit. Rathod initially tried to mislead the police by claiming he had dropped Londhe near Sigma Hospital. However, mobile location data and CCTV footage exposed the deception, leading to Rathod’s confession. Police have now arrested Rathod (24), his brother-in-law Akash Vinod Pawar (32), and friend Karan Vilas Ade (22), along with one more accomplice. The body was recovered under the supervision of the Tehsildar and sent for autopsy. Crime branch action was guided by Police Commissioner Pravin Pawar.