Beed: NCP-SP Beed MP Bajrang Sonwane on Thursday alleged a calculated conspiracy to frame his son, Saurabh Sonwane, in the murder of local hotelier Vilas Ghule.
Addressing a press conference at his residence, ‘Pawansut’, in Kaij on Thursday, the Beed MP played an audio recording purportedly featuring key accused Walmik Karad directing associates from inside Beed District Jail.
According to Sonwane, the recording captures Karad instructing a local aide to place Ghule’s body inside the police station premises to exert political pressure and force investigators to implicate his son.
Ghule was murdered on June 20, 2026, at his establishment near Takli Cross Road in Kaij tehsil on the Manjarsumbha-Ambajogai Road. While police have arrested 10 suspects in connection with the crime, the victim’s kin and political rivals have staged protests and road blockades and demanded Saurabh Sonwane’s arrest, along with an analysis of his Call Detail Records (CDR). Police authorities, however, have previously clarified that investigators have found no evidence linking Saurabh to the killing.
“This entire campaign is a politically motivated setup orchestrated straight from inside the prison walls,” Sonwane told reporters, outlining the sequence of events.
Sonwane announced that he would file a ₹500-crore defamation suit against local Kaij leaders, including Navnath Waghmare, and office-bearers of Kaij Nagar Panchayat for allegedly running a malicious campaign against his family.
Sonwane demanded strict action against prison authorities for allegedly enabling communication from behind bars. The MP stated that he would meet the Beed Superintendent of Police to seek FIRs against the Beed jailer, Walmik Karad, Ramesh Ghule and Sugriv Karad for alleged criminal conspiracy.
Shifting focus to agrarian distress, Sonwane hit out at the state government over crop insurance parity. “While neighbouring Dharashiv farmers received payouts last year, Beed farmers did not get a single rupee. The government must provide blanket compensation without oppressive riders and guarantee immediate crop insurance coverage for this season,” he said.
