Latur’s Mantha police solve well murder case within 24 hours

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Mantha police in Jalna district solved a murder case within 24 hours after the body of an unidentified young man was found floating in a water supply well at Pewa village of Mantha taluka, the police said on Saturday.The police said they received information that a male body was seen floating in the Pewa gram panchayat water supply well. A police team visited the spot and, with the help of local residents, pulled out the body. The deceased, estimated to be between 20 and 25 years of age, was found wearing a white t-shirt, with his hands and legs tied with a rope and a stone tied near his abdomen, indicating an attempt to weigh down the body.Prima facie, the police suspected murder with an attempt to destroy evidence. Based on a complaint lodged by the police patil of Pewa, the Mantha police registered a case of murder against unknown persons on Thursday.Jalna superintendent of police Ajaykumar Bansal said: "The manner in which the body was bound and dumped in the well clearly indicated a pre-planned murder. The Mantha police team acted swiftly and used technical and human intelligence to identify the victim and track down the accused within 24 hours."The police established the identity of the deceased as Atharva Lokhande (20), a resident of Markal village in Khed taluka of Pune. Acting on leads, police detained the prime accused, Kisan, alias Krishna Dhoje (35), a driver by profession, originally from Adgaon Tanda in Jintur taluka of Parbhani district, and currently a resident of Kaljewadi, Haveli taluka, Pune.Mantha inspector Manojkumar Rathod said the accused confessed during interrogation. "The accused lured the victim on the pretext of paying him Rs 10 lakh related to a monetary transaction. He, along with two relatives, brought Lokhande in a car to the Pewa area, strangled him with a rope inside the vehicle, and later dumped the body in the well to destroy evidence," Rathod said.Police also detained a second accused from Karnataka, while efforts are on to nab the remaining accused. Further investigation is being carried out by sub-inspector Santosh Malge.