Hours after his detention in connection with the alleged murders of nine members of the Vhanmore family in Sangli, the main accused in the case was admitted to a hospital as he started complaining of chest pains.
The accused, Abbas Bagwan (48), and his driver Dheeraj Survase (30) were detained on Monday evening and subjected to prolonged interrogation. Bagwan, a self-styled Tantrik, had allegedly taken large amounts of money from the Vhanmores, promising to conduct rituals that would lead to the revelation of hidden treasure, and then murdered them when they started asking for results. Survase is alleged to have been part of the plot and was also with him on the night he administered poison to the nine victims.
"The accused were taken for a medical check-up at the Miraj Civil Hospital before their arrest, which is required as per procedure, and at this time, Bagwan complained of chest pains. Subsequently, the Medical Officer admitted him to the Hospital. He has been booked for murder under the Indian Penal Code and will be formally placed under arrest as soon as he is discharged," said Superintendent of Police Dikshit Gedam, Sangli police.
Meanwhile, Survase was arrested and produced in court on Tuesday, after which he was remanded in police custody for ten days. The police are now interrogating him in connection with several aspects of the case.
"We need to ascertain the exact role played by each of the accused, the prior planning and their movements after they went on the run following the killings. We are also trying to find out how long the duo had been taking money from the victims and whether any other people have been similarly cheated by them," an officer who is part of the investigation said.
Gedam added, "We are also exploring the legal grounds for invoking the Anti Superstition and Black Magic Act in the case."
The police are also still working on confirming exactly how much money the Vhanmores had borrowed to give Bagwan, although a preliminary estimate puts the figure at around Rs one crore.
The deceased, which include a 70-year-old woman, her two sons and their families, were found dead in two houses owned by them in the Mhaisal village in Sangli on June 20.
A note found in one of the houses earlier led the police to suspect a suicide pact, although it later emerged in investigations that Bagwan had convinced them to write the note in a way that suggested suicide.
