Minister Munde's associate Walmik Karad surrenders, sent in 14-day police custody
Beed (PTI): Maharashtra NCP minister Dhananjay Munde's close associate Walmik Karad, wanted in an extortion case linked to the murder of a sarpanch in Beed district, has been remanded in 14-day police custody after he surrendered in Pune.
Karad, with his associates, arrived at the Crime Investigation Department's (CID) office in Pune in a car on Tuesday morning.
A preliminary inquiry was conducted and he was handed over to the Beed CID team, which is investigating the murder and extortion cases, Inspector General of Police Sarang Awad said.
He was later taken to a court at Kej in Beed district. The court, in a late night sitting, remanded him in 14-day police custody as sought by the CID.
Before turning himself in, Karad posted a video on social media, claiming he was being linked to the murder for reasons of political vendetta.
Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Kej tehsil of Beed district, was abducted last month and brutally killed on December 9, allegedly for opposing an extortion bid by some persons who had demanded money from a windmill company.
Four persons were earlier arrested in the murder case, while Karad was named as a wanted accused in the extortion case.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, facing heat over the law-and-order situation, on Tuesday said no "goonda-raj" will be tolerated in the state, but the opposition questioned the police's failure to nab Karad for about three weeks.
During the recently held winter session of the Maharashtra legislature, the opposition alleged that Karad was the "mastermind" of the murder.
The Fadnavis-led coalition government, sworn in on December 5, finds itself in a tricky situation because of Karad's links with Dhananjay Munde, who hails from Beed, and also because of the caste angle.
While the victim was a Maratha, the accused are from the OBC Vanjari community.
Fadnavis, who holds the Home department, on Tuesday said he spoke with Deshmukh's brother over phone, and assured him that justice will be done.
"Until the guilty are hanged to death, the police will continue to do their duty. All individuals involved in the Beed case will face prosecution. We will not tolerate 'goonda raj' (rule of criminals)....Nobody will be spared," he told reporters.
Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe questioned the police's failure to track down Karad, and said Fadnavis had no moral grounds to remain chief minister.
A sitting judge should oversee the investigation in the Deshmukh murder case, the Congress leader demanded.
NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad said Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde should be sacked, asking how a suspect linked with him could be questioned while Munde remains in the cabinet.
NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule said Karad posting a viral video and the police still remaining clueless about his whereabouts was shocking.
Beed BJP MLA Suresh Dhas congratulated CM Fadnavis over Karad's surrender, but targeted Munde.
Karad and Dhananjay Munde were "two sides of the same coin," he claimed, adding that Munde's resignation has been sought by his own party leaders.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange indicated that the Maratha community, to which Deshmukh belonged, would launch an agitation if the government failed to take action against supporters of the accused, whether they be ministers, MLAs or MPs.
Former Rajya Sabha member Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati demanded that Karad be booked for the sarpanch's murder and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) be invoked against him.
It is difficult to secure bail under the MCOCA.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
