Burglary accused murders complainant outside his home in Jalgaon, police station in-charge among 4 suspended for failing to act despite warning signs

Nashik: A 28-year-old burglary accused allegedly stabbed the complainant to death in front of his house at a village in Bodwad taluka in Jalgaon district on Wednesday afternoon, prompting the SP to suspend the police station in-charge, two officers and a head constable on Friday for their failure to act despite clear warning signs.

The police identified the accused as Altaf Latif Shah of Bodwad and said Shah has been booked, along with two absconding accomplices, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder and common intention. Shah was arrested in the case on Wednesday evening. The police have yet to confirm the whereabouts of his accomplices.

According to the police, the complainant, Ansar Pinjari of Hidayat Nagar, was attacked around 1pm just outside his home. “In what appears to be a premeditated assault, Shah allegedly lay in wait before suddenly charging at Pinjari and stabbing him multiple times in quick succession. The assailant fled the scene the moment the victim’s wife rushed out in a desperate attempt to save her husband,” an officer said.

The police said the murder stemmed from a burglary complaint filed by the Pinjari family on May 9. “The family had alleged that unknown people broke into their house between May 5 and 9 while they were attending a wedding, and decamped with cash and jewellery worth around Rs 29,000. During the probe, the family suspected Shah’s involvement. He was summoned for questioning but later released. Subsequently, Shah and his associates allegedly threatened Ansar for naming him,” the officer said.

Taking serious note of lapses in handling the case, superintendent of police Shrikant Dhivare has suspended the Bodwad police station in-charge, an assistant inspector, an assistant sub-inspector and a head constable. The SP said, “The officer-in-charge had been informed about the escalating dispute by a constable, and even a local corporator had alerted him to the sensitive situation. Despite this, the officer failed to take preventive or legal action or issue necessary instructions to subordinates.”

“Had timely action been taken, the murder could have been prevented,” Dhivare said, adding that the officer failed in maintaining law and order in his jurisdiction.