Police suspend officer for aiding murder suspect in Maharashtra

An assistant police inspector in India has been suspended for allegedly aiding a murder suspect. Additional Commissioner of Police, Manoj Patil, announced the suspension of API Amol Ghodake on the grounds of misconduct in an investigation. Ghodake was involved in the Theur firing case. He reportedly claimed that the main suspect, Bharat Zaid, was not at the crime scene. However, a senior officer’s investigation found evidence contradicting Ghodake's statements. Witnesses later confirmed Zaid’s presence during the incident. The suspension order criticized Ghodake for not obtaining crucial CCTV footage from the location. Officials noted that Zaid's call records indicated he was at the scene for 24 minutes. This raised concerns that Ghodake was attempting to manipulate key information related to the case. Zaid is accused of a serious crime involving the injury of a woman and an attack on her husband, who is a security guard. Following the woman's death from her injuries, charges against Zaid and his associates were elevated under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, leading to a murder case being filed against them.