Maha: 16 arrested in Vaijapur murder case; juvenile detained

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Police have arrested 16 accused, including the main accused, in connection with the murder of Rohit Pathare, who died following a clash between two groups during the Ganeshotsav 2026 immersion procession in Vaijapur.

Pathare, who sustained injuries during the altercation, died on November 3 while undergoing treatment. Police have so far arrested 16 people in connection with the murder case and are continuing their search for other absconding accused.

A case has been registered at Vaijapur police station under Crime No. 701/2026 under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Sections 103, 109(1), 140(1), 333, 189, 190, 118(1), 118(2), 115(2), 352, 351(2) and 351(3), along with relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Considering the seriousness of the incident, Superintendent of Police Prakash Jadhav directed the deployment of five teams from the Local Crime Branch and Vaijapur police station to trace the accused. The teams operated under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police Aparajita Agnihotri.

Based on confidential information and technical analysis, the police intensified their investigation and identified the accused who were allegedly hiding in other districts.

As part of the operation, six more accused were arrested on November 9. They have been identified as Avinash alias Aniket Popat Hond, Dnyaneshwar Sitaram Wadalkar, Pratik Kailash Salunke, Rohit Machhindra Aher, Sanket Adinath Aher and Tushar Adinath Aher. All six are residents of Vaijapur. A juvenile in conflict with the law was also detained.

Earlier, eight accused had been arrested in the murder case, while two others were arrested in connection with Crime No. 698/2026 registered at Vaijapur police station. With the latest arrests, the total number of accused arrested in the two cases has reached 16, excluding the detained juvenile.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of SP Prakash Jadhav and Additional SP Aparajita Agnihotri, with the involvement of Vaijapur Sub-Divisional Police Officer Bhagwat Funde, probationary Deputy Superintendent of Police and Vaijapur police station in-charge Vinay Sonawane, Local Crime Branch Police Inspector Vijay Singh Rajput and other senior police officials and personnel.

Police teams are continuing efforts to trace the remaining absconding accused.

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