Beed sarpanch murder: Cops launch manhunt after lawyer claims he spotted wanted accused in Nashik

Police have swung into action after lawyer Gitesh Bankar claimed that he spotted Andhale near a temple in Sahdev Nagar

The Police have launched a manhunt for Krishna Andhale, an accused wanted in the Beed sarpanch murder case, after a lawyer in Maharashtra's Nashik city claimed to have spotted him on a motorcycle on Wednesday, PTI reported.

A police official said that they are scanning footage from CCTV cameras in Nashik's Gangapur Road area to trace the biker.

Police have swung into action after lawyer Gitesh Bankar claimed that he spotted Andhale near a temple in Sahdev Nagar, Gangapur Road, at around 9:15 AM, PTI reported.

"I saw two people standing near a tree. One of them sported a tilak on his forehead and wore a mask. When he lowered the mask for a moment, I noticed he was Krishna Andhale. He immediately left the place on a bike," Bankar said.

Last month, unconfirmed reports of Andhale's spotting in Nashik had surfaced.

Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was kidnapped and tortured to death on December 9, last year. Initial investigation indicated that he had tried to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company operating a windmill project in the area, PTI reported.

Beed sarpanch murder: Defence demands statements of witnesses, accused by next hearing on March 26

The defence in the Beed Sarpanch murder case on Wednesday claimed in a local court that they had not received the statement of the accused and witnesses, PTI reported.

The accused were produced virtually in the case's first hearing in a court in Beed's Kej. Police have since arrested seven individuals, including former state minister Dhananjay Munde's close associate Walmik Karad, in connection with the murder. One accused is still on the run.

Speaking to the media, Assistant Government Prosecutor (AGP) Balasaheb Kolhe said that the court has sought their response to the demand of the defence by March 26, the next hearing date. Renowned lawyer Ujjwal Nikam is the public prosecutor in the case.

Anant Tidke, who represented the accused Sudarshan Ghule, told PTI reporters that they have not yet received the statements of the witnesses and the accused, who have been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

(With agency inputs)

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