Maharashtra: 9 of Sangli families were poisoned, say cops; 2 held

KOLHAPUR: The Sangli police have arrested two men from Solapur, allegedly involved in black magic practices, on the charge of murder in the case where two brothers and seven members of their families were found dead at their houses in Mhaisal town on June 20. Police said the duo administered poison to the nine family members either through food or drink.The two men — Mohammad Bagwan (48) and Dhiraj Suravase (39), both from Solapur city — had allegedly taken more than Rs 1 crore from the brothers on the promise of helping them find a hidden treasure.
A police official said that the brothers paid more than Rs 1 crore to the duo for which they took loans from moneylenders. When the families realised there was no hidden treasure, they started demanding their money back. The Solapur duo then hatched a plan to murder the family members.

On June 20, the bodies of the two brothers, Popat and Manik Vhanmore, and seven family members were recovered from the two houses, located half a kilometre away from each other. The dead included the brothers' mother, their wives and children. Popat was a teacher while Manik was a veterinary doctor.
Speaking to TOI, district superintendent of police Dikshitkumar Gedam said, "We have arrested two persons in the case and are checking their background. They are not relatives. They used to visit the family to guide them relating a hidden treasure. On June 19, they visited the families and administered poison through food or drink. We have invoked section 302 (murder) of the IPC against them. They will be produced before the court on Tuesday."
According to a police officer, the duo made the brothers write notes stating that they had taken loans from moneylenders and that they were being chased for repayment. The notes carried 25 names and as many as 19 people have already been arrested and are in police custody.
Earlier, the police had said that the family members had committed suicide as they couldn't bear the humiliation being heaped upon them by the moneylenders in public. However, the course of the investigation changed after the police found that on June 19, the brothers had bought 20 coconuts from a retailer. This led to the police suspecting the black magic angle.
Police investigations revealed that a ritual was performed on that day and the arrested duo had served poisoned 'prasad' among the family members.