Security guard murder: Maharashtra court sends Latur doctor to police custody till December 30

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A court in Maharashtra, on Wednesday remanded a Latur doctor in police custody till December 30 in connection with the murder of a security guard employed at his hospital, news agency PTI reported.

Dr Pramod Ghuge, along with his nephew Aniket Munde, was booked after the guard, Balu Bharat Dongre, died on December 12.

The doctor was apprehended in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, on Monday, following a tip-off, PTI reported. He had been on the run for several days after the Dongre's death, the police said. According to the cops in Maharashtra, Ghuge had instructed his driver to drop him in Pune, claiming he needed to attend a conference. From Pune, he travelled to Haridwar, where he was arrested.

Dr Ghuge was brought back to Latur on Wednesday morning and presented before a local court, which granted the police his custody till December 30. Meanwhile, two police teams are actively on the lookout for Munde, Inspector Dilip Sagar from Maharashtra Police said.

The police case stems from a complaint filed by Dongre's mother, a resident of India Nagar in Latur, at the Shivajinagar Police Station, PTI reported. She alleged that her son, who had previously been arrested in an abduction case, was brutally beaten to death at the hospital after demanding unpaid wages.

Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case under Section 302 (murder) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code against Dr Ghuge and Munde.

According to the police, Dr Ghuge was involved in thrashing and kidnapping a lift contractor, and coerced Dongre into participating in the abduction, promising him salary without work. After Dongre's arrest in the abduction case, Dr Ghuge paid him salary for a few months, but later stopped the wages. When the guard confronted him, the doctor threatened him, they said.

On December 12, Dr Ghuge informed the security guard's family that he was admitted to the hospital in critical condition. Dongre's father later found his son had died of severe injuries that indicated physical assault, according to the police.

The first information report (FIR) filed by the police revealed that Dongre had gone to the hospital to demand his salary when Dr Ghuge and Munde allegedly attacked him. Dongre, who sustained serious injuries, was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). His motorcycle, parked at the hospital gate, was damaged, likely to destroy evidence.

Initially, Dr Ghuge informed the police that Dongre died from a heart attack after an accident. However, the security guard's family alleged foul play and filed the complaint, the police said.

(With PTI inputs)