KOLHAPUR: Satara police have arrested a middle-aged person for allegedly killing four members of a family – parents and their two sons - in two separate incidents. The suspected has been remanded to seven days police custody, police said.
Medha police in Satara district, which is investigating the cases, said that the accused has been identified as Yogesh Madhukar Nikam (38), a resident of
Somardi
village in Jawli tehsil of Satara district. Preliminary investigation indicates that Nikam took some money from the family, promising two sons' job in military. He killed four of the family in two separate incidents as family was insisting money when two youths did not get the jobs.
Medha police identified those, who were allegedly killed by Nikam as Tanaji Vithoba Jadhav (55), Mandakini Tanaji Jadhav (50), Vishal Tanaji Jadhav (26) and Tushar Tanaji Jadhav (20). The Jadhav family hails from Dattanagar in Kupwad from neighboring Sangli district. Relatives of Jadhav family had lodged missing complaint last month.
The entire case came to the light when police found a body of an unidentified male on August 11 at 28 km long Marle ghat in Jawli tehsil of Satara district. Police could not identify the man as they did not find any clue in person. However, another body of a woman was found few days later. The police found some papers with woman’s body, with the help of which, they traced out the family members in Sangi district.
Medha police said that they suspected Nikam’s involvement when statements of Jadhav’s family members were taken. They initially detained Nikam, who later confessed to the crime and told the police that he had killed two sons of the family.
Shocked police took Nikam to the site when police, with the help of local trackers, located two skeletons of the boys. Police said that Nikam was not in position to explain when he committed the crime but they suspect it should be in August this year.
Nikam, during interrogation, told police that he had taken some money from Jadhav family promising jobs in military to two youths. Jadhav family was asking to return the money when youths did not get the jobs. The police are yet to ascertain the amount, which Nikam had taken from the family.
Nikam allegedly called
Jadhav brothers
to Marle ghat under the pretext that they need to be given training at a center. Nikam allegedly offered Jadhav brothers cold drinks with sedatives. He pushed both the brothers in the valley when two brothers became unconscious.
Nikam then contacted Jadhav couple by using cell phone of one of the brothers and asked them to come to Marle ghat to see the training center. Using the same method, he killed the Jadhav couple, police said. Police have sent the skeletons of two youths for forensic report and DNA test.