A shocking twist has emerged in a case initially believed to be a fatal car fire in Maharashtra’s Latur district, with police revealing that the man presumed dead is alive and had staged his own death to escape mounting debt. In the process, an innocent elderly man was allegedly murdered, police said.
The incident came to light after reports on December 15 claimed that a man had been burnt alive inside a car in Latur district. The deceased was initially identified as Ganesh Chavan, a private finance company employee. However, subsequent investigation revealed that Chavan had faked his death and fled after allegedly orchestrating the killing of an elderly hitchhiker.
According to police, the incident occurred around midnight in Wanwada Shivra area of Ausa taluka, where a Skoda car caught fire and was completely gutted. At first glance, authorities believed that the driver, estimated to be around 35 years old, had died after being trapped inside the burning vehicle. Based on items recovered from the car, the body was initially identified as that of Ganesh Chavan, a resident of Ausa Tanda.
However, investigators grew suspicious and began treating the case as a possible homicide rather than an accident. Police examined Chavan’s call detail records, which provided critical leads. Within 24 hours, it was established that Chavan was alive and had staged the incident to fake his own death.
Police said Chavan, who was under severe financial stress due to heavy debt and pending flat loan installments, had allegedly devised the plan to escape his liabilities. Investigators revealed that he had taken out a life insurance policy worth ₹1 crore prior to staging the incident.
As per the investigation, Chavan allegedly offered a lift to an elderly man, identified as Govind Yadav, near the Tuljapur T-point. He later murdered Yadav, placed his body in the driver’s seat, and set the car on fire. Police said the accused kept personal belongings near the body to mislead investigators into believing that he had died in the blaze.
Certain suspicious circumstances at the scene intensified police scrutiny, leading to a swift investigation and Chavan’s arrest. The incident has triggered widespread outrage in the area over the brutal killing of an innocent elderly man.
Police have registered cases under sections related to murder, fraud, and other serious offences, and further investigation is underway.