In a shocking case from Maharashtra, a man drowning in debt concocted a macabre plan to fake his own death and claim a massive insurance payout. The police have now arrested the perpetrator for allegedly murdering an inebriated man to stage the elaborate ruse.
The Grisly Plot Unfolds in Latur
The accused, identified as Pandharinath Karbhari Kalyane (35), a resident of Sai Nagar in Latur, was reportedly under severe financial strain. His scheme involved staging his own death to allow his family to claim a life insurance policy worth a staggering ₹1 crore. To execute this plan, he needed a body that could be passed off as his own.
According to the Latur police, the incident occurred on the night of March 9. Kalyane allegedly lured a heavily intoxicated man, Raju alias Golu Ashok Chavan (32), who was in an inebriated state near the Sai Nagar area. He then took Chavan to a secluded spot near the railway tracks. There, in a brutal act, Kalyane is accused of murdering Chavan by bludgeoning him with a stone. The intent was to mutilate the face beyond recognition to facilitate the false identification.
Police Investigation Uncovers the Truth
The plot began to unravel when the Latur police discovered the badly disfigured body on March 10. Initially, the deceased was identified as Pandharinath Kalyane based on the clothes and a mobile phone found at the scene. The family was informed, and they even performed the last rites, believing it was their relative.
However, suspicions arose during the post-mortem. The police grew doubtful about the identity due to certain physical discrepancies. A thorough investigation was launched. Officers, led by Senior Police Inspector Sainath Khedkar, began piecing together evidence and electronic data. Their probe revealed a startling fact: Pandharinath Kalyane was alive and had fled to Pune.
The police team tracked him down and arrested him from Pune on April 27. During interrogation, Kalyane confessed to the heinous crime. He revealed that the motive was the crippling debt he owed to various banks and private lenders. The life insurance policy was seen as a way out for his family.
Charges and Ongoing Probe
The Latur City Police have registered a case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence). The investigation is ongoing to uncover every detail of the planning and to confirm if anyone else was involved in the conspiracy.
This chilling case highlights the extreme lengths to which individuals can go under financial duress. It also underscores the meticulous work of the police in uncovering a plot designed to mislead them from the very beginning. The community in Latur has been left stunned by the cold-blooded nature of the crime, where an innocent life was taken merely as a means to an end for an insurance fraud.
