Daijiworld Media Network – Kolhapur
Kolhapur, Jul 28: A former woman sarpanch from Kolhapur district was allegedly strangled to death by her neighbour, who allegedly lured her on the pretext of taking her on a pilgrimage to Pandharpur before attempting to dispose of her body in Mumbai. The accused was arrested after his nephew alerted the police.
According to police, the deceased has been identified as Surekha Nyare, while the accused is Prakash alias Babu Ananda Patil (40), a resident of Shirgaon. The two lived opposite each other in the same locality.
Police said Surekha's husband had died around one-and-a-half years ago, following which the two families became close and Surekha and Prakash allegedly developed a relationship. Investigators said Surekha had been repeatedly pressuring Prakash to marry her, but he was unwilling.
To end the relationship, Prakash allegedly hatched a plan to kill her. On Sunday morning, he reportedly told Surekha that they would travel to Pandharpur for the pilgrimage and asked her to accompany him in his vehicle. Instead of taking her to the temple town, he allegedly drove to a cattle shed at Lindori village, where he strangled her to death.
Police said the accused then stuffed the body into a gunny sack and concealed it in the trunk of his Eco car (registration number MH-09 GZ-6815). He allegedly planned to travel to Mumbai and dump the body into the sea to destroy evidence.
The plan unravelled when Prakash met his nephew, Sandesh More, in the Kasheli area of Bhiwandi on Monday morning. According to police, he confessed to the murder and sought his nephew's help in disposing of the body.
Shocked by the confession, More immediately informed the Narpoli police. Acting on the tip-off, a police team led by Senior Police Inspector Vijay Kadbane intercepted the vehicle. During the search, officers recovered Surekha's body from the car's trunk and arrested the accused.
Police have registered a zero FIR in Bhiwandi and transferred the case to the Shahuwadi police for further investigation.
Surekha Nyare had served as the sarpanch of her village for around two-and-a-half years. The incident has sent shockwaves across Shirgaon and other parts of Kolhapur district. Police are continuing their investigation into the case.