Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A 29-year-old man wanted in a murder case registered by Nanded Rural police in Sept 2024 was arrested from Bhopal Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, where he was allegedly lodged under a false identity in connection with another case.
Police said the accused, identified as Palwinder Singh Lachmansingh Chavan, was produced before a Nanded court on Thursday and remanded to police custody till Oct 17. Investigators said Chavan had been absconding since the murder of Shivam Suraj Gaikwad on Sept 20, 2024. Police registered a case under sections 103(1), 238 and 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Nanded superintendent of police Neelabh Rohan said the arrest was made as part of a special drive to trace absconding accused involved in serious crimes across the district. Police said Gaikwad was allegedly murdered over his intercaste marriage. “The co-accused, Devansh alias Devansingh Karansingh Sikkarwar, was arrested and a chargesheet was filed against him in Dec 2024,” an officer said.
Acting on a tip-off, a Nanded police team led by sub-inspector Ravindra Taru verified his presence in Bhopal Central Jail, secured a production warrant and brought him to Nanded. As per a complaint filed by his brother, Karan Gaikwad, Chavan and another accused had allegedly threatened Shivam over the marriage. Chavan is accused of attacking Shivam with a sword, causing fatal head and neck injuries.
During the investigation, police found that Chavan had allegedly been using the identity of Balkar Singh, son of Lakshman Singh, while in custody in a govt railway police case registered in Bhopal in 2026.