Karad ordered murder of sarpanch Deshmukh: CID charge sheet

The 1,400-page charge sheet submitted by the state Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) special investigation team (SIT) before Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in Beed has cited supporting evidence of the role of minister Dhananjay Munde’s close aide Walmik Karad as mastermind in the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh and describes in detail how the other seven accused executed the killing.

Karad, according to the charge sheet, is shown as the accused number one while another accused Sudarshan Ghule is referred as the gang leader.

The charge sheet describes the roles played by each of the accused and throws light on the extortion attempt by Karad and accused Vishnu Chate, directly linking it to the murder. The Beed police had filed three cases of atrocity, extortion and murder, but CID-SIT has clubbed the cases together in the final charge sheet. The authorities examined 180 witnesses.

The charge sheet is replete with CCTV footage evidence related to ₹2 crore extortion demand made by Karad and the voice samples gathered by the investigators to support their claim that the money demand was made before Avada company officials by Karad and other accused. SIT chief Basavraj Teli has submitted digital evidence examined and certified by a forensic laboratory as proof with the charge sheet.

Chate has been listed as an accused wherein Karad had made a mobile call from the former’s number to Avada wind energy official on November 29, 2024 demanding extortion. “Stop that work. Do that immediately, failing which there will be serious consequences. Remember if you start the work again,” states the mobile call records. Later, a demand of ₹2 crore was made.

The CID-SIT has listed voice samples of all the accused in the form of a memory card in the charge sheet. However, the investigating agency has accepted that Chate’s phone was destroyed. However, Sudarshan is seen laughing while Deshmukh was assaulted and a video of the same has been furnished as proof.

After arresting Karad, the investigators seized a light blue iPhone and two gold coloured mobile handsets. His conversations with the other accused have been submitted along with voice samples. The weapons used to murder Deshmukh along with a black vehicle used by the accused, pipes stained with blood, T-shirts found in the vehicle, googles, ATM card, RTO cards and other articles seized from the accused find mention in the charge sheet.

The charge sheet mentions that if Deshmukh was not eliminated they all would be reduced to penury and Karad is the mastermind of the murder plot. Sudarshan and his associate have been participating in organised crime in Kej, Ambajogai and Kalamb in Dharashiv for the past ten years and had been involved in 11 criminal cases, the charge sheet states.

It also states that on October 8, 2024, land acquisition officer Shivaji Thopate met Karad at his Parli office. At that time Chate was present. Karad threatened Thopate saying, “If you want a company to function in the area then pay ₹2 crore otherwise Avada wind energy will not be allowed to do work in the entire district”. Adding to the threat, on November 29, Sudarshan issued a threat to Avada company asking it to fulfil the demand of “Walmik Anna” or face closure across the district and asked the official to meet Karad.

In the afternoon of November 29, Karad, Chate, Sudarshan, Pratik Ghule, Sudhir Sangale and Krushna Andhale met at Chate’s office in Ket and hatched a conspiracy to recover the extortion amount from Avada wind energy company.

On December 6, 2024, Sudarshan, Pratik and Sangale barged into Avada wind energy company’s factory and physically assaulted the security guard and hurled casteist abuses, it states. Thopate was assaulted after being threatened for not paying ₹2 crore. The company officials informed about the incident on phone to sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh who reached the spot where he requested Ghule and associates, “Please don’t shut the company. Let people get employment.” At that time Chate issued a life threat to Deshmukh saying that he was coming between them and the company.

On December 7, Sudarshan made a call to Karad where the latter said, “No company will pay us money if people come in between. Whoever comes in between must be levelled off (eliminated)”. Later, Deshmukh was brutally murdered, the chargesheet states.

The murder of Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed, on December 9 last year has triggered a political firestorm in the state as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister Dhananjay Munde’s close aide Karad was arrested in connection with the related extortion case.