TOXIC TALE

Gadchiroli Correspondent

In a sensational incident at Mahagaon in Aheri taluka, two women of a family poisoned and killed as many as five of their own kin with a heavy metal-based poison. While one claimed she was tired of harassment from in-laws, the other said she wanted to save her ancestral property which made them eliminate the family members over a period of 20 days. Police arrested the accused daughter-in-law and sister-in-law on Wednesday morning. They were produced before court, which sent the two to police custody remand of 10 days. The family members had died with symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting, bodyache and cardio respiratory failure. While three of them had died in a hospital in Nagpur, 2 others passed away while undergoing treatment in Chandrapur. The deceased have been identified as Shankar Kumbhare, his wife Vijaya, daughter Komal Dahagaokar, son Roshan and Vijaya’s sister Ananda alias Varsha Urade. The arrested accused have been identified as Sanghamitra Kumbhare, wife of deceased Roshan Kumbhare, and Roza Ramteke, Vijaya’s brother’s wife. At some point, Sanghamitra and Roza hit a common ground and allegedly decided to execute their nefarious plan.

Roshan and accused Sanghamitra had a love marriage against her parents’ wishes. Her father had committed suicide because of this. She allegedly held a grudge and told police that her in-laws and husband would often taunt her. On the other hand, Roza was upset as Vijaya was demanding share in her (Vijaya’s) father’s property. As per details, on September 9 last, Shankar Kumbhare and his wife Vijaya fell ill all of a sudden after which they were admitted to a hospital in Aheri and later shifted to Chandrapur. However, Shankar died on September 26 and Vijaya too breathed her last the next day. Even as the family was coming to terms with the deaths, the couple’s daughter Komal Dahagaokar, who stayed in Gadaheri, their son Roshan Kumbhare as well as Vijaya’s sister Ananda Urade, who stayed in Mul, also fell ill and all were admitted in different hospitals. One after the other, all three also died on different dates - Komal on October 8, Ananda on October 14 and Roshan on October 15. Meanwhile, Kumbhare couple’s elder sonSagar, who stays in Delhi, had come down to Chandrapur to meet the ailing parents. When he returned to Delhi he too fell ill and had to be hospitalised.

Furthermore, driver of the Kumbhares, Rakesh Madavi, who had taken Shankar and Vijaya to Chandrapur hospital in September, also fell ill the very next day of this travel. He is undergoing treatment in Chandrapur at present. Another addition to the list was of Shankar’s brother-in-law who had also come to meet the family. He is also admitted in a hospital at present. Fortunately, health of Sagar, the driver and the brother-in-law is said to be stable now. The death of so many people of the same family within a short span of time put the cops on alert. SP Nilotpal had formed four teams to investigate the matter and so Aheri’s Additional SP Yatish Deshmukh, SDPO Dr Sudarshan Rathod, PSO Manoj Kalbande and Police Inspector of Local Crime Branch Ulhas Bhusari swung into action. Based on inputs from a network of informers, cops were keeping a close eye on Sanghamitra, daughter-in-law of Shankar, and Roza Ramteke, his sister-in-law, and finally, both were arrested on Wednesday morning. The two have confessed to the crime.Roza had allegedly bought the poison from Telangana and the two accused were mixing it in the food of the family members in small portions every day until it showed its effect.

The driver fell ill as he had sipped water from Kumbhare’s bottle while going to Chandrapur. SP Nilotpal held a press conference here on Wednesday afternoon. Kumar Chinta, Anuj Tare, Yatish Deshmukh, all Additional SPs, and Dr Rathod, SDPO, were also present. He said that the main motive behind the well-planned murders was dispute over an ancestral property and Roshan’s wife had also accused mental torture by her in-laws as well as husband. An offence under section 302, 307, 328, 120 (b) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against Sanghamitra Kumbhare and Roza Ramteke. Further investigation is being done by Gadchiroli Police. The possibility of more accused being involved is also being probed by police.