SIT questions Khade over Walmik’s Pune property case

The State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) grilled former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Datta Khade for two and a half hours for his alleged role of acting as a mediator on behalf of Walmik Karad for buying flats, commercial spaces and other investments in Pune, official said on Tuesday.

The CID had served a notice to Khade on January 19 and asked him to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for inquiry on Monday. There are allegations that a person close to Walmik had bought six commercial spaces at a premium property located opposite Fergusson College (FC) Road.

Khade, former corporator from Pune, said, “Though I know Walmik, I have never spoken to him on phone and have nothing to do with the case. The probe officials asked me whether I was a party to the sale of property opposite Fergusson College to Walmik. I was the corporator of the ward in which the property falls. It is an attempt to defame me ahead of the civic polls.”

Walmik, an associate of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, was arrested in an extortion case related to the Beed sarpanch murder. Later, a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court remanded him in seven-day police custody till January 22.

Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was abducted and killed on December 9 last year, reportedly for trying to stop an extortion bid on an energy firm operating a windmill project in the region.