M’rashtra’s ‘Dr Death’ turned his farm into charnel house

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, August 16

Questioning of a Maharashtra doctor over the disappearance of an anganwadi worker last week revealed that the medico, Santosh Pol, had murdered her and at least five others and buried most of their remains in his farm near the town of Wai in Satara district.

The police said Dr Pol was questioned after Mangala Jedhe, president, Maharashtra Purva Prathmik Shikshika Sevika Sangh (MPPSSS) went missing a few days ago. Jedhe, 49, was on her way to Pune from Wai to help her daughter delivery on June 16 but did not reach her destination. With the local police mucking up the investigation, Jedhe’s family and activists demanded a probe by the Criminal Investigations Department of the state police.

Investigations revealed that Jedhe had been in regular contact with Dr Pol. On the fateful day, Jedhe was intercepted at Wai by the doctor and his nurse, Jyoti Mandre. The police said the anganwadi worker was lured to Pol’s farmhouse in the interiors of Wai where both the doctor and the nurse murdered her after administering lethal doses of some medicines.

The duo then buried Jedhe’s remains on the farm and left Wai, police said. However, the police traced Mandre who confessed to the murder. Dr Pol was traced to Dadar in Central Mumbai and was taken to Wai by a team from the CID.

“Dr Pol confessed that he was having an affair with both Jyoti Mandre and Jedhe and killed the latter after she allegedly threatened to expose him,” Wai police station Inspector Padmakar Ghanvat said. However, on sustained questioning the doctor confessed to have murdered four more women and one man over the past few years, Inspector Ghanvat added.

Dr Pol was produced before a local court on Sunday and has been remanded to police custody till August 19, sources said this afternoon.