Latur: Corporator among 3 held in Baba Shaikh murder, Fortuner and weapons seized

Latur police's local crime branch has made a major breakthrough in the murder of Baba Shaikh, a resident of Parli Vaijnath in Beed district. The murder took place in front of a hotel in Latur city, and police arrested the accused, who had been on the run, from the Palashi Phata area. Among the three arrested is Altafkhan Sardarkhan Pathan, a corporator of the Parli municipal council. Police recovered two sharp weapons suspected to have been used in the crime and a Toyota Fortuner valued at around Rs 22 lakh from the accused.

According to police, Baba Shaikh, a young man from Parli Vaijnath, was attacked with a sharp weapon in front of a hotel in Latur city and killed. A corporator linked to Parli from the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party is accused of involvement in the case. On this basis, a case was registered against him and the other accused at Shivajinagar police station in Latur. The case was registered as crime register number 447/2026 under sections 103(1), 109(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The accused had been absconding since the incident, and police had been continuously searching for them.

A team from Latur's local crime branch was working to catch the absconding accused. Superintendent of Police Amol had directed that the search for the accused be intensified. Under his instructions, a team led by local crime branch police inspector Sudhakar Bawkar, with assistant police inspector Pandurang V. Mane, was engaged in the investigation. During this, police learnt through confidential and technical information that the three accused were staying in the Palashi Phata area with the Fortuner vehicle. Police then laid a trap in the Renapur-Palashi Phata area at around 2.10 am. In the operation, carried out with panchas present, all three were caught with a white Toyota Fortuner.

The arrested accused have been identified as Altafkhan Sardarkhan Pathan (41), Umar Mehboob Shaikh (24) and Khaled Hamid Shaikh (39). According to police, all three are residents of Parli Vaijnath. A search of the vehicle turned up a sickle-like sharp weapon and a folding knife. Police completed the legal process and seized both weapons. The Toyota Fortuner bearing registration number MH 44 T 0221 was also seized.

Following the action, all three accused were produced before Shivajinagar police station in Latur for further investigation and legal proceedings. Police are investigating the actual motive behind the attack, the role of each accused, and other aspects of the Baba Shaikh murder case. Further details related to the case are likely to emerge as the investigation continues.