Five members of a family poisoned to death in Gadchiroli; Police arrest 2 women

Two women have been arrested for allegedly poisoning to death five persons of a family in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli, police said on Wednesday.

With the arrest of Sanghamitra Kumbhare and Rosa Ramteke, the police have unravelled the mysterious death case of five persons of a family within a month, they said.

As per the Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli, Neelotpal, the two women poisoned five members of a family over an ancestral property dispute and other reasons.

“In Village Mahagao, tehsil Aheri, in the Gadchiroli district, over the past few days, Shankar Piru Kumbhare, along with four members of his family, suddenly fell ill and died within a span of twenty days,” police said.

“Firstly, on September 20, 2023, Shankar Kumbhare and his wife, Vijaya Kumbhare, were shifted to a hospital in Aheri, after the duo experienced a sudden deterioration in their health. They were later shifted to a reputed hospital in Nagpur for treatment. Unfortunately, due to a lack of proper diagnosis, Shankar Kumbhare passed away on September 26, 2023, followed by his wife, Vijaya Kumbhare on September 27,” Gadchiroli SP, Neelotpal said.

He said that while still recovering from this shock, Kumbhare’s daughter, Komal Dahagaokar, and his son, Roshan Kumbhare, who were residing in Gadaheri, as well as his daughter Ananda, also known as Varsha Urade, who was living nearby, were hospitalized in different medical facilities.

“Their conditions deteriorated day by day without any signs of improvement. Later, Komal passed away on October 8, Ananda (Varsha Urade) on October 14 and Roshan Kumbhare on October 15,” he added.
The police said that apart from the deceased family members, they poisoned other three persons, including the Kumbhare’s eldest son and the driver who took Shankar and Vijaya to the hospital for treatment. “Their condition is stable now,” police added.

Incidentally, the police took the matter seriously and an investigation was initiated.

“Four different investigation teams were formed immediately, to conduct inquiries in various districts of Maharashtra and Telangana. Reliable sources later provided information that Sanghamitra Kumbhare, Shankar Kumbhare’s daughter-in-law and Rosa Ramteke, the wife of a brother-in-law of Shankar Kumbhare were actively involved in crime. Police closely monitored their activities and detained them on October 18, 2023. Subsequent investigations revealed that both the individuals had committed the crime,” police added.

Relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) have been registered against the arrested women and further details are awaited. (ANI)