The Maharashtra police on Monday said the nine members of a family found in a “mass suicide” in the Sangli district last week were murdered by two accused. According to officials, the two families were poisoned by two accused, including an ‘occult practitioner’ in exchange for ‘secret money’.
Police have arrested the occult practitioner, 48-year-old Abbas Mohammad Ali Bagwan and resident of Sarvadenagar, Solapur and his driver Dheeraj Chandrakant Suravshe (39), a resident of Vasant Vihar Dhyaneshwari Plot.
“We have arrested a ‘tantrik’ and his driver for murder. Investigations have revealed these two people had allegedly poisoned to death nine members of the family,” Inspector General of Police (Kolhapur Range) Manoj Kumar Lohiya told PTI. A police official said section 302 (Punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) will be invoked.
Popat Vanmore (54), who worked as a teacher, his brother and veterinarian Dr Manik Vanmore (49), their 74-year-old mother, wives and four children were found dead at their houses in Mhaisal village of Sangli district on June 21. Suicide notes were found from the two houses, located 1.5 km apart from each other.
The preliminary probe had suggested that the two brothers had heavily borrowed money from various people due to content of the suicide note. “The contents of the suicide notes indicate that the family had borrowed money from some people and was finding it difficult to repay it,” Sangli Superintendent of Police (SP) Dikshit Gedam had said.
Police had arrested 13 on charges of abetment of suicide while 25 were accused in the case.
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