Fadnavis Suspends Buldhana Cops After Missing Woman Returns Alive
On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the suspension of several police officers and the filing of criminal cases against them in the Legislative Assembly. The action followed a major police blunder near Rajura Dam in Buldhana district, where officers arrested a missing woman's father and brother for her murder after recovering an unidentified headless body, only for the woman to later turn up alive.
The incident began in April when 26-year-old Shivani Kalmekar went missing from Khaknar. In the first week of May, police recovered the headless and partially charred body of an unidentified young woman near Rajura Dam. Believing the body was Shivani's, investigators detained her father, Bapurao Kalmekar, and her brother, Ajay.
According to police, the father and son confessed to the murder during interrogation and were subsequently remanded to judicial custody while DNA testing was initiated. However, on May 28, Shivani was found alive near Nashik, where she had travelled with a man named Arun Dadu Kalmekar. She later recorded a statement at the Jalgaon Jamod police station confirming she was alive and calling for her family's release.
Following their release, Bapurao and Ajay released a video statement disputing the police's version of events. They alleged that officers had taken them to a forest, beaten them with sticks, and assaulted them until they confessed to a crime they did not commit. They also accused the officers of demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh.
Responding to a question raised by MLA Rohit Pawar in the Assembly, Chief Minister Fadnavis admitted that the police had committed a "serious mistake" by making the arrests without scientifically establishing the identity of the body.
Fadnavis announced that all police inspectors, sub-inspectors, and Crime Branch officials associated with the investigation have been suspended. A three-month departmental inquiry has been ordered, and Fadnavis stated that officers directly linked to the incident will face termination from service. The state government also promised financial assistance to the victim's family.
The identity of the headless woman found near Rajura Dam remains unsolved as police reopen the investigation.
