Beed extortion case: police given custody of Walmik Karad

Walmik Karad sent to police custody under MCOCA, sparking protests; SIT alleges conspiracy in sarpanch's murder.

Beed extortion case accused Walmik Karad was sent into police custody for seven days by the Beed Sessions Court Judge S.R. Patil on Wednesday after he was charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator’s supporters have been protesting in Pangri village of Beed district, demanding withdrawal of the case.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) presented ten points while seeking 10 days of police custody for Mr. Karad. They cited how the murder was organised. The SIT alleged that the primary reason for sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh’s murder was because he was hindering attempts to extract a ransom. According to a police official, all the accused conspired to kidnap Santosh Deshmukh, and Mr. Karad threatened Deshmukh on the day of the murder.

Massajog sarpanch Mr. Deshmukh was killed on December 9 for averting the extortion attempt. While seven people were arrested as part of a murder case and booked under MCOCA on January 11, Walmik Karad was arrested in a ₹2 crore extortion case involving Avada Green Energy Company and booked under MCOCA on Tuesday.

Walmik Karad’s lawyer confirmed that the SIT mentioned conspiracy in Santosh’s murder and sought custody to further investigate the call details of all the accused, namely their communications with each other. “Based on call details, police asked for custody. I argued that they are linking to different cases over one phone call, and Walmik Karad has no connection with it. I questioned why the extortion case was filed on December 11, when the FIR mentions the extortion call was made on November 19. Everything is an afterthought and baseless,” lawyer Siddheswar Thombre told The Hindu.

SIT also presented the criminal records of Mr. Karad and the eight other accused in the sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh case.

After Mr. Karad was booked under MCOCA, his supporters staged a protest in Beed district’s Pangri village on Wednesday, demanding withdrawal of the case. His supporters are also protesting in several other regions across Beed, making the situation tense. A few protestors climbed a mobile tower and onto a water tank.

Mr. Karad’s mother and wife, Manjiri, also joined the protest and sat outside the Parli police station demanding his release. His wife told the media that he has been made a scapegoat to further some people’s political ambitions.