Liquor mafia gang allegedly killed fifth member over loan, cremated body and immersed ashes in river
The house where Prakash Bidwalkar was allegedly killed
Four members of a local liquor mafia gang have been arrested by the police in the south Maharashtra district of Sindhudurg for allegedly killing their fifth accomplice, Siddhivinayak alias Prakash Bidwalkar, and disposing of his body in March 2023. The matter came into light on Friday. Police had been looking for Bidwalkar, wanted in an inter-state liquor smuggling matter, who had not been traceable for two years.
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Bidwalkar had been living with his maternal aunt, who is hearing and speech impaired. “We found out with the help of the aunt’s cousin that Bidwalkar had been taken away in March 2023 by four men—Siddhesh Shirsat, Ganesh Narvekar, Sarvesh Kerkar and Amol alias Vallabh Shirsat—and he never came back home even when his mother passed away during the last 24 months,” said an officer privy to the investigation. “A kidnapping case was registered at the police station in Nivti, Vengurla taluka, against the four,” the officer added. The Nivti police team, led by API Bhimsen Gaikwad, were empowered to take the four into custody.
Prakash Bidwalkar
Local police sources informed mid-day that the four accused are key members of an inter-state liquor smuggling racket, allegedly sourcing bottles from neighbouring Goa by evading law enforcement.
“After they were arrested, the prime suspect Siddhesh Shirsat spilled the beans and told us that they kidnapped Bidwalkar from his house, brought him to Kudal where they mercilessly thrashed him as the deceased had reportedly not been returning some cash that he had borrowed from them. Bidwalkar succumbed to these injuries, according to Siddhesh,” said the police sources.
When the gang learnt that Bidwalkar had died, they decided to dispose of his body.
“His body was taken to a remotely located cremation ground in Satarde village in Kudal town where his last rites were conducted in the middle of the night, his ashes collected and disposed of into the nearby Terekhol river,” the officer added.
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