'Superstition' Twist in Sangli Deaths: Mantrik Held for 'Poisoning' Family

The mantrik had taken money from the Vanmores under the pretext of locating "hidden treasure" for them.

(Photo: The Quint)

About one week ago, Sangli Police denied any role of 'superstition' in the death of nine family members from Maharashtra – suspecting it to be a case of suicide due to harassment by moneylenders. On 28 June, the cops arrested a 'mantrik' and his accomplice, for allegedly poisoning the Vanmore family to death.

According to Sangli Police, the main accused Abbas Mohammad Ali Bagwan, a self-professed godman, and his accomplice Dheeraj Surawase allegedly murdered the family as they did not want to return their money.

The preliminary probe revealed that Bagwan and Surawase had taken money from the Vanmores under the pretext of locating "hidden treasure" for them so that the family can repay borrowed loans.

On 20 June, teacher Popat (52) and veterinarian Manik Vanmore (49), along with their wives, children, and mother, were found dead in their homes in Mhaisal village in the district. The family of nine left behind a note, stating that continuous 'humiliation' over their inability to repay loans pushed them to take this extreme step, the Sangli Police had said.

What Happened?

According to police Bagwan and Surawase, both residents of Solapur district, allegedly poisoned the family by mixing questionable substance in tea on the night of 19 June.

Inspector General of Police (Kolhapur range) Manoj Kumar Lohiya told news agency PTI that Bagwan, who is a 'mantrik,' had taken a huge amount of money from the Vanmore brothers under the pretext of helping them explore 'gupt dhan' (hidden treasure).

The family was reportedly frequently asking him to return the money as the 'treasure' was not found.

A police official closely involved in the investigation told news agency PTI that the team felt something was 'amiss' while examining the note. Their suspicions also increased after only one body was found with a bottle on their side, the police official explained.

“Generally, in a suicide note, the person first writes the reason and then blames the people for the extreme step he is taking. In this case, the names of some people were written at the start of the notes. Both the notes didn’t even mention that the family wanted to commit suicide. It seems that the accused might have misled the two brothers to write the names of the money lenders under some pretext to pass it off as a suicide pact."

Police Official to PTI

How Cops Traced the 'Mantrik'

According to PTI, the cops first tracked the movements of all the deceased with the help of CCTV footage on the roads. This led them to a vehicle, which they traced to Solapur. The district is about 200 km away from Sangli.

“The preliminary probe suggests that the accused mantrik and his accomplice reached the houses of the Vanmores (probably on June 19) and told them that he (Bagwan) would perform some rituals to find the hidden treasure. They sent the family members to the terrace of their houses, then called them down one by one, and asked them to consume tea which was laced with some poisonous substance."

Police Official to PTI

Prima facie, the cops said, Bagwan and Surawase allegedly committed the crime by going to the houses of the Vanmore brothers one after the another.

Sangli Superintendent of Police Dikshit Gedam said that Bagwan and Surawase are arrested and Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) will be invoked. However, he added that there will be further investigation until the 20 moneylenders, initially arrested in connection with the case, are released.

(With inputs from PTI.)