Pune based Businessman Found Murdered in Jehanabad District
A 55-year-old businessman from Pune, identified as Laxman Sadhu Shinde, was found murdered in Jehanabad district, Bihar, following a business trip. Shinde, a resident of DP Road, Kothrud, owned Centrifugal Casting Bearing, a company based in Khed Shivapur, Pune. His body was discovered on April 14 within the jurisdiction of Ghosi Police Station. Police suspect he was kidnapped and subsequently murdered.According to officials from the Pune police, Shinde had been in contact via phone and email with a man named Shivraj Sagi regarding a business deal involving centrifugal casting. Acting on Sagi’s invitation, Shinde traveled to Patna on April 11.Upon arriving in Patna on the evening of April 11, Shinde informed his daughter of his arrival through a phone call. Later, around 8:30 PM, he sent her a WhatsApp message indicating he was en route to a coal mine plant number 3 in Jharkhand, located 1,200 feet underground, to inspect machinery. This was his last known communication.
Sambhaji Kadam, DCP (Zone 3), stated, “When his family couldn’t reach him, they filed a missing person’s complaint at the Kothrud Police Station on April 12. A team from Pune police was sent to Patna to collaborate with local authorities. With help from the Patna Airport Police Station, it was determined that Shinde was kidnapped shortly after leaving the airport.”A kidnapping case was registered under sections 37(2), 140(3), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Kadam added.
Further investigation revealed a disturbing pattern: victims were lured with business proposals, picked up from Patna airport, held in isolated locations, and coerced to withdraw money. While some hostages were eventually released, Shinde was brutally assaulted.Police discovered that ₹90,000 was withdrawn from Shinde’s bank account using his ATM cards before he was fatally beaten when he allegedly refused to disclose details of other accounts.Santosh Kumar Sharma, station in-charge of Hawai Adda Police Station in Patna, reported,
“The deceased was received at Patna airport and later taken to a remote location where he was attacked by the suspects. They withdrew ₹90,000 using his ATM card. When he refused to share details of additional accounts, they escalated their violence, resulting in his death.”Patna police have arrested seven individuals in connection with the crime, including Ranjit Patel, Viptara Kumar, Lalbihari, Vikas alias Mohit, Kundan Kumar, Sangita Kumari, and Sachin Ranjan.In light of these developments, Kothrud police have invoked additional BNS sections 103(2) (mob lynching) and 111 (extortion) on Tuesday.
