Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A 50-year-old man who had come to Jalna's Gondegaon village to attend his mother-in-law's funeral was allegedly bludgeoned to death late on Sunday night following a drunken altercation. The police have arrested two of the man's relatives in connection with the incident.
Victim identified
The deceased, Machhindra Darade, a resident of Panegaon in Ambad taluka, was found dead on Monday morning in an open area behind a 33KV electricity substation in Gondegaon. According to police, he suffered severe head injuries after being attacked with a stone.
Arrests made
Jalna superintendent of police Ajaykumar Bansal said the arrested accused are Vinod Kute (27) of Gondegaon, currently residing in Modikhana area of Jalna, and Sominath Gite (27) of Devgaon in Paithan taluka of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. Both have been taken into custody.
Sequence of events
According to the police, Darade and the accused, who are related to him, had attended the funeral earlier on Sunday and later sat together to consume liquor. "During the drinking session, the victim allegedly made remarks that led to a heated argument," Bansal said.
Additional superintendent of police Ayush Nopany said the argument escalated into violence. "In a fit of rage, the accused assaulted Darade and later picked up a stone and smashed his face, causing fatal injuries," he said. The police added that the accused claimed they believed Darade would regain consciousness and return home. "Assuming he would wake up, they left him at the spot and went to sleep," Nopany said.
Investigation underway
The incident came to light on Monday morning when villagers noticed Darade's body and informed the police. A team led by inspector Santosh Sable of Jalna taluka police reached the spot and began an investigation. The body has been sent for postmortem, and further probe is underway.
