Man stabbed to death in Deoli, Wardha; four arrested, one juvenile detained

A 42-year-old man was stabbed to death in the Indiranagar area of Deoli town in Wardha district at around 1 am on November 2, 2026. The deceased has been identified as Gajanan Kishor Patankar, a resident of Deoli.

Deoli police took immediate note of the incident and began an investigation. Within an hour of the incident, police arrested four main accused in the case. A juvenile in conflict with the law has also been detained. The juvenile's name has been withheld.

According to police, Patankar and the accused had a minor quarrel at Mohit Dhaba over smoking a cigarette. It is alleged that the accused conspired over that minor matter and unlawfully gathered a crowd.

In the early hours of November 2, Patankar had gone to Indiranagar in Deoli to drop off a friend. The accused are said to have come in front of his vehicle and stopped him. It is alleged that they held him down and stabbed him with a knife. Patankar died of the serious injuries he suffered in the attack.

Realising the gravity of the incident, Deoli police reached the spot immediately. A forensic team was also called in to collect physical and scientific evidence. Senior police officers visited and inspected the spot and gave guidance and instructions for the investigation.

The four arrested accused are Aman Santosh Tekam, Om Ramesh Savarkar, Pranay Dnyaneshwar Rathod and Manoj Dnyaneshwar Rathod. All four are residents of Deoli.

Crime No. 825/2026 has been registered at Deoli police station in Wardha district. Sections 103(3), 126, 61(2)(a), 296, 189(2)(4), 190 and 191(1)(2)(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 have been invoked. The complainant is Vicky Kishor Patankar, a resident of Deoli.

The entire operation was carried out under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Saurabh Kumar Agrawal (IPS), Additional Superintendent of Police Sadashiv Waghmare, Pramod Makeshwar of the Superintendent of Police's office, and Pulgaon Sub-Divisional Police Officer Vandana Karkhele. The investigation is being led by station house officer Sandeep Kapade, with sub-inspectors Shivraj Jadhav and Kamlesh Magre and other officers and constables of Deoli police station. Further investigation is under way.