Policeman found murdered, body buried near home, relatives detained

 

By Barnabas Karunagari | January 5, 2026

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, INDIA: A police constable who had been missing for the past two days was found murdered on Sunday January 4, with his body recovered from a freshly dug pit near his residence in Balegaon village of Vaijapur taluka in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.

The deceased has been identified as Nanasaheb Ramji Divekar, a resident of Balegaon, who was serving at the Devgaon Rangari police station. He is survived by his wife and a son.

According to Superintendent of Police Vinay Kumar Rathod, three suspects—all relatives of the deceased—have been detained for questioning. “Preliminary investigation indicates that the murder may have been committed due to suspicion of an illicit relationship,” SP Rathod said, adding that the probe is still underway.

Divekar’s unexplained absence from duty raised concern among his family members and colleagues, following which a missing persons complaint was lodged on Sunday morning. However, police grew suspicious over the manner in which the complaint was filed by Divekar’s cousin, as certain details appeared inconsistent. This prompted officials to intensify verification of the victim’s movements and activities prior to his disappearance.

A team from Shivur police station subsequently visited Divekar’s house and searched the surrounding area. Assistant Inspector Vaibhav Rankhamb said that during the inspection, police noticed signs of freshly disturbed soil near a mud house close to the victim’s residence. “When the spot was dug up, the body was found buried there,” Rankhamb said.

The recovery confirmed that Divekar had been murdered and that an attempt was made to destroy evidence by concealing the body. Police sources said a sickle-like sharp weapon was allegedly used in the attack, with multiple injuries found on the neck and face of the victim.

Senior police officers, including SP Rathod and Additional Superintendent of Police Annapurna Singh, visited the spot soon after the recovery. A panchnama was conducted, and the body was sent to a government hospital for postmortem. Preliminary findings suggest the murder was premeditated.

Teams from the local police, the local crime branch, and a dog squad have been deployed to gather evidence and reconstruct the sequence of events. The killing of a serving police personnel in such circumstances has sent shockwaves through the police department and caused panic in Balegaon village.

Police have assured a thorough and impartial investigation and said strict action will be taken against those found responsible.