Pimpri Chinchwad Police Uncover Plot Behind Murder of Pandit Jadhav, Bullock Cart Racer from Maval
Maval, 22nd November 2024: Pimpri Chinchwad Police have solved the murder of a well-known bullock cart racer from Maval Taluka in Pune District. The victim was kidnapped, murdered, and burnt by his own tenant and his tenant’s friend. The accused attempted to deceive the authorities by faking an extortion case. The main accused has been arrested by the Anti-Extortion Squad of the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC).
The deceased, Pandit Ramchandra Jadhav, aged 52, was a famous bullock cart racer in Maval. Police have arrested Suraj Macchindra Wankhede (23, a resident of Jadhavwadi, Maval), while his friend, Ranjit Kumar, a resident of Bihar, remains absconding. A case has been registered against them for murder, extortion, kidnapping, and attempting to tamper with evidence.
According to police reports, Senior Police Inspector Devendra Chavan, in charge of the Anti-Extortion Squad and Industry Cell of PCPC, received information from a source that Pandit Jadhav had gone missing. Unknown individuals had contacted his relatives, demanding a ransom of Rs 50 lakh. The Detection Branch (DB) of the Anti-Extortion Squad visited the Talegaon Dabhade area, met with relatives, and learnt that the accused was using Jadhav’s phone. Through further investigation, the police identified a suspect named Wankhede, a tenant of Jadhav’s room. He was detained in Umbre, Maval Taluka, while attempting to flee to his native village.
During interrogation, Wankhede revealed that he and his friend Ranjit Kumar had kidnapped Jadhav and staged the ransom demand. They murdered him by choking him to death over personal issues. They then requested Jadhav’s family to hand over his car, claiming Jadhav needed it. Using that car, they transported his body to Wahagaon in Khed Taluka, where they burnt it on a hill. They later returned the car to Jadhav’s home. The police have arrested Wankhede and seized five SIM cards and two mobile phones used in the crime. The case will now be further investigated by the Talegaon Dabhade Police Station.
This action was carried out under the guidance of Pimpri Chinchwad Commissioner of Police Vinoy Kumar Choubey, Joint Commissioner of Police Dr Shashikant Mahavarkar, Additional Commissioner of Police Vasant Pardeshi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Doiphode, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime 1) Dr Vishal Hire. The team, led by Senior Police Inspector Devendra Chavan, included Police Sub Inspector Sunil Bhadane, Police Constables Sunil Kangude, Pradeep Pote, Kiran Katkar, Pradeep Godambe, Kishore Kamble, Kiran Jadhav, Ashish Botake, and Chandrakant Jadhav, along with Nagesh Mali and Popal Hulge.
