Pune: A 25-year-old man allegedly hacked two of his distant relatives to death in the early hours of Sept 29 and robbed them of gold chains worth Rs6 lakh at Sherechiwadi village in Baramati.The bodies of Indumati Ladkat (75) and her relative, Krishnabai Ladkat (55), were found on the morning of Sept 29 in the verandah of Indumati’s house at Sherechiwadi, about 70 km from Pune. Their throats had been slit with sharp weapons. Indumati was staying alone in the house as her two sons lived outside the village. Krishnabai used to stay with Indumati at night.Pune Rural police identified the accused as Vikas Ladkat, the grandson of the deceased women’s cousin. They have recovered the stolen chains from him. Vikas was produced before the court on Sunday and remanded to police custody for five days.Superintendent of police (Pune Rural) Sandeep Singh Gill on Monday said when the police reached the spot, they found the women’s gold chains were missing. The safety door of the house was open, with a key in the lock. The doors of a cupboard were also open and clothes were scattered on the floor. “Suspecting the murders were committed for theft or robbery, we formed eight teams to trace the accused. We verified at least 200 criminals on police records in the district and neighbouring districts. Two teams were tasked with investigating whether the accused was a local resident.”“These teams, led by assistant police inspector Shashikant Shelke of Supa police, checked 200 CCTV feeds within a 5 km radius of the village. They also recorded statements of villagers, including the accused. The accused’s movement seemed suspicious. They checked his routine on the day of the crime and thereafter took him into custody on Sunday. During questioning, Vikas Ladkat admitted to murdering the women,” Gill said.Gill said Vikas Ladkat is the grandson of the deceased’s cousin. He was jobless and in debt. He wanted money to clear his debts and fund his addictions. He was looking for vulnerable victims whom he could kill and rob. “After identifying Indumati and Krishnabai as potential targets, he entered the premises of Indumati’s house in the early hours of Sept 29. He hacked the women to death with an axe, robbed them of their gold chains and checked the cupboard before fleeing.”
