Cops stumped about Dr Death’s motives

In the murder case involving Dr Santosh Pol — who killed six people, including five women — the police is yet to ascertain the motive behind the murders. Based on primary investigations, greed for money and illicit relationships with women could have led Pol to commit the murders, the police said.

“He is misleading investigators and answering differently each time we ask him why he committed the murders. He is the one who led us to the site where the bodies were buried. It will take time for him to open up,” said Vinayak Vetal, a police inspector from Wai.

“He committed the first murder, of Surekha Chikane, in 2003 for the gold ornaments she was wearing. We are yet to figure out why he killed Vanita Gaikwad, who was HIV positive and whose body he threw in a river in 2006. We suspect that he had murdered her for her gold,” said Mr Vetal.

“In the case of Janabai Pol, who was killed in 2010, he said that he had transferred her property in his name and then killed her. Even Janabai’s daughter confirmed the same. He killed Salma Shaikh, with whom he was in an illicit relationship, for having an affair with Nathmal Bhandari in January 2016. Before that, he had eliminated Bhandari in December 2015,” the officer added.

When asked how it was that neither the police nor the residents nearby had realised that something fishy was going on at Pol’s house or farmhouse, Padmakar Ghanwat, police inspector (crime), Satara police station, said, “Pol stays in Dhom village, which is 7-8km away from Wai, and has a poultry farm 13km away from Wai.

The area has sparse population and hence residents must have missed the crime. The police had interrogated him thrice on receiving complaints from the families of missing people. But since he is a doctor and commanded respect, we did not think that a person from his background could commit such murders.”

Inspector general (Kolhapur) Vishwas Nangare Patil said the police were looking into all the complaints of missing people in the area and wanted people to come forward if their relatives have gone missing.

Meanwhile, four more families have claimed that their members are missing.