Maharashtra woman, pregnant, taken 200 km after dispute, burnt alive; 4 arrested
A 31-year-old pregnant woman from Raigad was killed after being assaulted and later set on fire with petrol in Dhule's Gartadabari area, police said, in a case linked to an internal dispute at a kala kendra. Four people, including two women, have been arrested in connection with the murder, while two others remain absconding.
The case came to light three days ago after the charred body of a woman was found in the Gartadabari area, triggering a police investigation. The deceased was identified as Pinky Hanumant Katkar, a resident of Raigad.
According to the Mohadi police, the accused confessed during questioning that the murder stemmed from an internal dispute involving a kala kendra. Police said Katkar was assaulted in Beed and rendered unconscious before the accused allegedly transported her towards Rajasthan.
During the journey, the group stopped in the Gartadabari area of Dhule, where Katkar was doused with petrol and set on fire, resulting in her death, police said.
The four arrested accused have been identified as Sarfaraz alias Shafik Alim Momin, 38, from Dharashiv; Arif alias Khujya Asif Sheikh, 31, from Dharashiv; Swati alias Aarti Ganesh Kurade, 28, from Ahilyanagar; and Laxmi Balaji Pawar, 30, from Dharashiv.
Two other accused, identified as Farukh Sheikh from Dharashiv and Rohini Jadhav from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, are yet to be arrested. Police teams are conducting searches to trace them.
The involvement of two women in the alleged killing has also emerged during the investigation, police said.CCTV FOOTAGE PROVIDES CRUCIAL LEAD
The Mohadi police and Local Crime Branch teams examined CCTV footage from the highway for around 11 hours following the discovery of the body.
During the investigation, police identified a Hyundai Mobilio as a suspicious vehicle. Investigators then followed the vehicle's trail and detained four people from Dharashiv and Ahilyanagar, including two women who worked at a kala kendra.
Police said the questioning of the suspects helped investigators piece together the sequence of events leading to Katkar's death.
According to the police investigation, the accused had first assaulted Katkar in Beed following the dispute and left her unconscious. They then transported her in the vehicle while travelling towards Rajasthan and travelled for 200 kilometres.
The group subsequently stopped in Dhule's Gartadabari area, where police said Katkar was doused with petrol and set on fire.POLICE SEARCHING FOR TWO MORE ACCUSED
Police are continuing efforts to locate Farukh Sheikh and Rohini Jadhav. Investigators are also examining the circumstances surrounding the dispute and the events that preceded Katkar's assault and death.
The case has been investigated by the Mohadi police team under the guidance of Dhule Superintendent of Police Vishal Anand, Additional Superintendent of Police Ajay Devre and Sub-Divisional Police Officer Rajkumar Upase.
The operation was led by Mohadi police station inspector Shilpa Patil.
The investigation remains underway, with police examining the role of each accused and gathering further evidence in the case.- EndsWith inputs from Vishal Thakur
