Deshmukh was killed on December 9, 2024, when he attempted to foil an extortion bid by the accused
Protestors at Azad Maidan last week demanding arrests in the murder of Santosh Deshmukh. Pic/Atul Kamble
The seven accused in the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog in Beed district, have been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
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Deshmukh was killed on December 9, 2024, when he attempted to foil an extortion bid by the accused. A Crime Investigation Department team has been probing the murder. The accused are Surdarshan Ghule, Pratik Ghule, Sudhir Sangale, Krishna Andhale, Vishnu Chate, Siddharth Sonawane, and Jairam Chate. Of these, Krishna Andhale is still at large.
However, Valmik Karad, who has been booked and arrested in the extortion case and is linked with a senior minister from Beed, has not been charged under MCOCA yet. Police are investigating the link between the extortion and the murder, and sources said more accused were to be brought under the MCOCA. This gives police special powers and provides for additional criminal penalties including the death penalty, and the bail conditions are also stricter.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had made an announcement in the state legislature that the accused would be tried under MCOCA. Police sources say the accused in the Beed murder would be fit for trial under the stringent Act if there is record of them having links with organised crime.
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