Cops crack WCL staffer’s murder; wife, paramour held

Chandrapur: Ballarpur police on Saturday cracked the murder case of Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) employee Maroti alias Vikky Kakade and have arrested his wife, paramour, mother-in-law and one other person.
Investigations have revealed that Kakade was killed for being a hurdle in the illicit relationship of his wife Prajakta and main accused Sanjay Tikle.
Kakade worked at WCL’s Sasti mine. His body with the throat slit was found near Sasti bridge over Wardha River on Thursday night. Initial inference was that way-layers might have robbed him and thrown his body after killing him. However, call records of the deceased gave away clues about foul play in the case. When cops grilled Vikky’s wife, she spilled the beans and confessed to the crime.
Police sources said Prajakta was in a relationship with Tikle, her distant relative from Ghugus. Apart from planning to kill Vikky, Prajakta was also after the WCL job she would get on compassionate grounds after death of her husband. Prajakta’s mother, Kanta Bhasakhetre, was also involved in the plan that was hatched a month ago. Police said Tikle took help of his friend Vikas Nagrale from Ghugus to execute the crime.
The accused revealed that Tikle and Nagrale took Vikky to Sasti to consume liquor. Later, the duo took Vikky to Nakoda village near Ghugus and killed him by strangulating him in a nullah behind ACC cement factory.
The duo then dumped the bike of the deceased there and took Vikky’s body in Tikle’s car to Sasti bridge near Ballarpur to dispose it of. When asked why did not they throw the body into the flooded river, Prajakta said she was after the compensatory job of her husband and disposing of the body would have delayed that.
Cops have registered an offence of murder and other relevant charges against Prajakta, Tikle, Bhashaketre and Nagrale. All of them have been remanded in police custody till August 4.