Maharashtra One more held in sarpanch murder case motive unclear

    Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dec 11 (PTI) Police investigating the abduction and murder case of a village head in Maharashtra's Beed district have arrested one more individual, an officer said on Wednesday.
    Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was abducted from a toll plaza located near Dongaon Phata village around 3 pm on Monday from his car, police said.
    Deshmukh's body was found in Daithana area of Kej tehsil.
    Deshmukh's cousin Shivraj Deshmukh later lodged a police complaint alleging that the sarpanch was abducted over a previous enmity with some persons.
    Police later arrested two persons-Jayram Chate and Mahesh Kedar- in the abduction-murder case amid protests by angry villagers.
    Protesters torched a state transport bus during a road blockade demonstration and clashed with police on Tuesday, an official said.
    "Beed Police arrested a third accused in connection with the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh," Superintendent of Police Avinash Bargal told reporters in Beed on Wednesday.
    He said the investigation is progressing, and appealed to people not to pay attention to rumours.
    The third accused is identified as Pratik Ghule, another official said.
    Meanwhile, local MLA and NCP leader Prakash Solanke demanded the formation of a Special Investigation Team.
    "We cannot trust local police. An SIT can unravel the truth behind the murder," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)