Maharashtra: Doctor confesses killing five women, one man; was driven by lust, greed

A Maharashtra doctor, arrested on the charge of kidnapping and killing an 'aanganwadi' worker on 13 August, has confessed to murdering six people and burying them in the backyard of his farmhouse, the police said on 16 August. Dr Santosh Pol used high doses of medicines to murder the victims.

Pol's accomplice, Jyoti Mandre, has also been arrested by the police.

Satara's Wai Police Station Inspector Padmakar Ghanvat said the accused was arrested last Saturday and has confessed that he has killed five women and one man.

Pol's crimes were unearthed when the police began to investigate the disappearance of 49-year-old Mangal Jedhe, president of the Maharashtra Purva Prathmik Shikshika Sevika Sangh (MPPSSS). India Today quoted MPPSSS general secretary Shaukat Pathan as saying, "She had left Wai for Pune to attend to her daughter's delivery, but never reached there."

The police said that Pol was allegedly involved in a relationship with Jedhe and his nurse Jyoti Mandre. On finding out about Mandre, Jedhe threatned to expose him. The doctor, along with Mandre, administered high doses of drugs and killed her, India Today reported.

It was in the police custody after his arrest that Pol confessed to the crimes and said that five women are buried in his farmhouse and a body of man was thrown in a local water reservoir.

Apart from Jedhe, the missing victims were tentatively identified as Salma Shaikh, Jagabai Pol, Surekha Chikane, Vanita Gaikwad and Nathmal Bhandare. However, according to the police, the exact details will be known only after investigation.

The police added that Pol's crimes were driven by lust and robbery. He used his medical knowledge to eliminate his victims when they threatened to expose him.