Man murdered, death passed off as natural: Nephew, sister-in-law held

Akola: The Akola police cracked a murder case that was initially projected as a natural death in Wai (Mana) village in Murtijapur taluka after the post-mortem report contradicted initial claims.According to police sources, the deceased, identified as Sanjay Bhatkar, was allegedly murdered by his nephew and sister-in-law, who attempted to portray the death as natural. The case surfaced when complainant Gopal Bhatkar received a phone call from his nephew informing him about Sanjay's sudden demise. Upon reaching the spot, family members insisted it was a natural death. However, suspecting foul play, police initiated a detailed investigation.The breakthrough came after the autopsy report revealed that the cause of death was "asphyxia due to strangulation". This finding ruled out natural causes and confirmed it as a case of homicide. Mana police registered an offence and intensified the probe.During the investigation, police detained the deceased's nephew, Swapnil, and sister-in-law, Sangeeta. Under sustained questioning, both accused reportedly confessed to strangling Sanjay to death. Preliminary investigations indicate that the murder stemmed from an ongoing domestic dispute.The accused were formally arrested and produced before a court. The operation was carried out under the guidance of SP Archit Chandak and additional SP B Chandrakant Reddy, with Mana police station in charge Ganesh Navkar leading the investigation.