Mumbai, Suspended Beed police sub-inspector Ranjit Kasle who had claimed that he was offered a contract to eliminate Walmik Karad, key accused in the sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh case, has been dismissed from service, officials said on Friday.
The action against Kasle has been taken by the Inspector General of Police of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Range under Article 311 of the Constitution of India as a competent authority, they said.
Earlier, the Beed police had sent a proposal to the higher-ups recommending his dismissal, an official said.
Kasle had earlier levelled allegations against former Maharashtra cabinet minister Dhananjay Munde and his close aide Walmik Karad. Talking to reporters at Pune airport on Thursday night, he had reiterated his claim that he was given a contract to eliminate Karad in an encounter.
Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and tortured to death on December 9 last year allegedly for attempting to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company.
Karad is among the eight persons arrested so far and booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act .
Kasle was under suspension, and a preliminary enquiry was underway against him. A case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act has also been registered against him for allegedly posting an objectionable comment on social media on April 2.
While on the run to evade arrest, he had released videos on social media making sensational claims that were rubbished by police officials time and again.
In a recent video, he had expressed his willingness to surrender before the police in connection with the case registered against him. He was detained on Friday from a hotel in Beed, the official said.
During his interaction with reporters in Pune on Thursday, when Kasle was asked if he had evidence to back his claim, he said those who make such offers do so behind closed doors and ensure no trail is left behind.
He also said he rejected the “encounter” offer because the law must punish Karad if the latter is guilty in the case. Kasle had also claimed he was “kidnapped and taken to Barshi in Kolhapur” and that his duty schedule was “changed on polling day”.
He claimed ₹10 lakh was transferred into his account from a company linked to a former minister.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.