Santosh Deshmukh Murder Case: Walmik Karad, a close aide of NCP leader and state cabinet minister Dhananjay Munde, is absconding after a case was filed against him for allegedly demanding a ransom of Rs 2 crore from a wind energy company. Karad is also implicated in the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog in Kaij taluka.
Amid growing pressure from all levels for his arrest, CID teams are intensifying their efforts to apprehend Karad. However, reports claiming that Karad was arrested by the CID in Pune late last night have been dismissed as unverified by the investigating agencies.
Meanwhile, Karad’s wife, Manjili Karad, has been summoned for questioning by the CID. Sources indicate that Karad may have no option but to surrender, but as of now, he remains at large.
The CID has also frozen the bank accounts of Karad and three other suspects: Sudarshan Ghule, Krishna Andhale, and Sudhir Sangle. Investigators are actively searching for them across India.
Additionally, an unidentified person sent a voice message to social activist Anjali Damania claiming that the bodies of the three absconding accused had been found. However, Beed police later investigated the matter and determined that the alleged discovery was a hoax. The police have issued a notice to Damania regarding the misinformation.
All-party leaders have staged rallies demanding Karad’s immediate arrest, along with the three other absconding suspects in the sarpanch murder case. The protestors also demanded that state food and civil supplies minister Dhananjay Munde (NCP) be dismissed for allegedly protecting Karad.
The march, which started at the statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and ended at the district collector’s office, saw wide participation from local activists and politicians, including Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil and Chhatrapati Sambhaji from the Kolhapur royal family, local BJP MLAs Suresh Dhas and Abhimanyu Pawar; NCP MLA Prakash Solanke; and NCP (SP) MLAs Jitendra Awhad and Sandeep Kshirsagar.
They warned of escalating protests if Karad and the other absconding suspects were not arrested.
Deshmukh was murdered on December 9 while allegedly intervening in an extortion attempt at a local wind power plant. He was allegedly tortured and had his eyes gouged out. Two of the suspects have been arrested, but three others, including Karad, remain at large. Deshmukh’s family and local politicians continue to demand Karad's arrest, accusing Munde of protecting him.