In a chilling case of premeditated murder for insurance money, the Latur police have arrested a 35-year-old district head of a private finance firm for allegedly burning a drunk man alive inside a car. The accused, Ganesh Chavan, planned the gruesome crime to stage his own death and claim a term insurance payout of Rs 1 crore to wipe out his mounting debts, officials revealed on Monday.
The Gruesome Crime and Swift Investigation
The police said the meticulously planned crime unfolded on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. A Dial 112 call around 12:30 am on Sunday reported a car on fire on the isolated Ausa-Vanvada Road. Fire tenders doused the flames, revealing a horrifying sight: a charred human skeleton inside the vehicle. An accidental death case was initially registered, and DNA samples were preserved.
The car was registered to a relative but was regularly used by Chavan. When contacted, Chavan's wife informed the police that he had left home around 10 pm on Saturday, saying he was going to deliver a laptop to a friend, and had not returned. Relatives later identified a metal 'kada' from the remains, leading the family to believe the body was Chavan's. The police agreed to hand over the remains for burial, not cremation.
Inconsistencies and the Unraveling Plot
However, inconsistencies during the probe raised suspicions that Chavan was still alive. Within just 24 hours, the Latur police, using technical analysis and a lead from a woman Chavan was having an affair with, tracked him down. He was arrested from Sindhudurg district, where he had fled after the crime.
During interrogation, Chavan confessed to the murder. Superintendent of Police Amol Tambe stated that the accused was under severe financial stress, with loans totalling Rs 97 lakh taken to buy flats in Mumbai and Latur. "The burden was aggravated by high personal expenses by his wife and the woman he was involved with. He believed that if he was declared dead, the Rs 1 crore term insurance would clear the liabilities. This belief led to a cold-blooded murder," Tambe said.
Modus Operandi: A Cold-Blooded Plan
Local Crime Branch Inspector Sudhakar Bavkar detailed the accused's method. Chavan revealed that he offered a lift to 50-year-old Govind Yadav, who was heavily intoxicated. He later stopped at a dhaba, bought chicken, and then drove towards the deserted Vanvada road. While Yadav ate a little and fell asleep, Chavan assessed the surroundings.
"Chavan then dragged Yadav to the driver's seat, fastened the seat belt tightly, and placed matchsticks and plastic bags on the seat," said Bavkar. He poured petrol inside the car, left the fuel tank cap open to accelerate the blaze, splashed petrol outside, and set the vehicle on fire before fleeing on foot.
Sub-divisional Police Officer Kumar Chaudhary confirmed that evidence showed the victim was alive when the car was set ablaze. "The victim was burnt alive while intoxicated and was unable to resist. Positioning him in the driver's seat was meant to pass off the death as that of the accused," Chaudhary explained.
Trail of Evidence and Confession
The police said phone analysis, travel data, and financial trails exposed the deception. Surveillance of the woman Chavan was having an extra-marital affair with provided a vital lead to trace him to Sindhudurg. Ausa police station inspector R K Dambale said Chavan admitted that he had planned either suicide or murder to trigger the insurance claim. Forensic confirmation of the evidence is currently underway.
The case highlights a brutal attempt to commit insurance fraud through murder, which was foiled by alert police work within a day of the crime being reported.
