In one of the videos, six accused individuals were seen thrashing Deshmukh with a white pipe and a wooden stick besides kicking and punching him
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While sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was being tortured and killed in December 2024, the assailants recorded about 15 videos, clicked eight photos and even made two video calls, police have said in a chargesheet, documenting the brutality endured by the victim, PTI reported.
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Last week, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) submitted a charge sheet before a court in Maharashtra's Beed district adding the videos and the photos.
Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was kidnapped and murdered in December for attempting to foil an extortion bid on an energy company. His body was found dumped on the roadside with severe injuries and bearing signs of extreme brutality, PTI reported.
Seven men, including Walmik Karad, who is a close associate of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, have been arrested so far in connection to the case, while one person has been declared a wanted accused.
According to PTI, the videos were shot on a smartphone of one of the accused, Mahesh Kedar, and their duration ranges between 2 seconds and 2.04 minutes, an official said, citing the chargesheet.
On December 9, the Massajog village head was kidnapped by six men at Dongaon toll plaza and taken in an SUV towards Kej taluka with a silver Swift car following it, he said.
Deshmukh was later found unconscious at Daithna Shivar towards Nandur Ghat Road the same evening. He was immediately rushed to a hospital by the Beed police's search team, where he was declared dead on arrival.
As per the official, Deshmukh was beaten up by the accused from 3.30 pm to 6 pm by using a gas pipe of 41-inch length with a handle with black string, white pipe, an iron rod with five clutch wires, wooden sticks, a "fighter and dharkatti" (both sharp weapons), PTI reported.
In one of the videos, five accused individuals, including Sudarshan Ghule, were seen thrashing Deshmukh with a white pipe and a wooden stick besides kicking and punching him.
As per PTI, The video shows Deshmukh in a half naked condition and forced to sit on the ground.
In another video, accused Sudarshan Ghule is seen forcing Deshmukh to chant "Sudarshan Ghule is the father of all". Another accused urinates on the sarpanch who is seen bleeding profusely, according to the chargesheet, PTI cited.
As Deshmukh was tortured, wanted accused Krishna Andhale made two video calls via WhatsApp from his mobile phone, first at 5.14 pm and the second one at 5.26 pm, the chargesheet said without identifying the person to whom the calls were made.
Police have recovered 15 broken pieces of a white pipe from the spot, which was hard and blunt, the official said, PTI reported.
During the investigation, the CID found that the accused Sudarshan Ghule runs a crime syndicate in Maharashtra's Beed district. His gang currently faces 11 serious cases and is active in Kej, Ambajogai, Dharur areas of Beed district, and Kalamb in adjoining Dharashiv district, he said, as per PTI.
The three accused Ghule, Karad and Vishnu Chate were in contact with each other before and after the killing of Deshmukh, the official said.
On May 28, 2024, Ghule had kidnapped Sunil Shinde, project officer with an energy firm, for extortion. The victim later filed a complaint against Ghule at Kej police station, according to the official.
(With inputs from PTI)
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