Get the “Encounter” of Salpanchi’s Murder: The suspended police

Walmik Karad is one of eight arrests so far and under strict Maharashtra control over organized crime laws. File | Image source: PTI

The BEED moratorium on Monday (April 14, 2025) was suspended by BEED’s deputy police inspector, claiming that some people offered him a “encounter” of Walmik Karad, who was charged in the murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

Paused police officer Ranjeet Kasle also said he had mentioned the name of the person who made the offer in the diary of the local police station.

However, a senior BEED police officer dismissed Castle’s claim without any basis and said he should submit his statement proof.

Ranjeet Kasle, deputy inspector of the local cybercrime department, was suspended earlier.

Deshmukh, Sarpanch, in Massajog village, BEED district of Maharashtra, was kidnapped and tortured to death on December 9 last year, allegedly for trying to stop extortion bids against energy companies.

Karad is one of eight arrests so far and booked under the Organized Crime Act (MCOCA).

The State Crime Investigation Department (CID) filed more than 1,200 page fees to the court of BEED in the Deshmukh murder case last month and filed two related cases.

Kasle, speaking with the regional news channel, claimed that some people had contacted him and offered to have a “meeting” of Karad.

“I gave this proposal to a team of several people, and I mentioned their names in my TV diary. The offer was only for Walmik Karad, and was given to me before I was suspended. I refused and said I could not commit such a crime.”

He claimed: “They paid Rs 10, 20, 50 crore in one go. A person who can do this is like I am in the network department, and has no contact with the case, but I was brought up because they know I have the guts.”

Castle refers to the custody death of Badrapur’s sexual assault case accused of Akshay Shinde, saying that the sitting position ordered by the Mumbai High Court should be the central government, so that only the truth will appear.

Asked about Castle’s claims, a senior police officer at Bed said: “Everything is groundless. He should provide evidence for what he said. Nothing he did is in work ethics.”

Castle has been suspended to conduct a preliminary investigation (PE) on him. The official added that police had issued notice to Castle, but he has not accepted it yet.