In a significant finding in the investigations into the Satara serial murder case involving an electro-homeopathy doctor Santosh Gulabrao Pol and his nurse Jyoti Mandre, the DNA samples of three victims out of the six victims in the much-discussed case have matched with those of their relatives.
Ahead of the start of the trial into the sensational serial murder case, the Wai police landed a crucial piece of scientific evidence which showed that the DNA samples of the three of the victims Mangala Jedhe, Nathmal Dhanaji Bhandari and Jagabai laxman Pol matched with that of their relatives.
Confirming this, Investigation Officer and Senior Inspector attached to the Wai police station Vinayak Vetal said on Wednesday that the samples of Mangala, Nathmal and Jagabai tested positive in the tests matching the DNA samples of their relatives, conducted at the state-run Forensic Science laboratory at Pune.
Vetal said that the samples of two other victims – Surekha Kisan Chikane and Vanita Narhari Gaikwad –had not yet been sent to the DNA tests, while they had no plans of sending the samples of the sixth victim Salma Shaikh, who being an orphan had no relatives.
42-year-old Pol, who has earned the sobriquet of being “Dr Death” and his nurse Jyoti (25) have been charged with luring and killing at least six persons, including five women, with lethal injections and robbing them of their gold valuables.
After eliminating their victims, Pol and his nurse allegedly buried the bodies of the six victims on the former’s ancestral farm house premises at Dhom, 12 km from Wai town in Satara district in western Maharashtra.
Vetal said that the police had so far filed three charge-sheets against Pol and Jyoti and would file three more charge-sheets against the two accused in the coming weeks.
The forensic and chemical analysis reports of the lethal injections used to eliminate the victims are awaited. However, the investigations have revealed that that Pol had stolen them from the Ghotawadekar Hospital at Wai where he used work as an ICU in-charge in the past. The trial in the Satara serial murders case will begin sometime in February next year.
Considering the seriousness of the crimes of committed by Pol and his nurse, the Maharashtra government has appointed noted criminal lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as the Special Public Prosecutor in the case.
According to Pol’s confessions, the following is the time-line of the serial murders that he allegedly committed: Surekha Chikane-- May 20, 2003, Vanita Gaikwad -- August 12, 2006, Jagabai Pol -- August 13, 2010, Nathmal Dhanaji Bhandari -- December 07, 2015, Salma Shaikh -- - January 17, 2016 and Mangala Jedhe – June 16, 2016. Of Pol’s victims, five are women, while Nathamal is the only man.
Among other things, Pol has confessed to the police that he had injected heavy doses of local anesthesia into the veins of his six victims. So heavy was the dose that he had administered to one of the six persons allegedly killed by him, died within one minute of his administering anesthesia into her veins.
Dr Pol has also confessed as to how he had eliminated two of his victims – Vanita Gaikwad and Salma Shaikh – in his ambulance by administering them with heavy dose of local anesthesia.
Among other things, Pol has told his interrogators that he had robbed the golden ornaments worn by his victims and sold them. The investigators are verifying Pol’s claims by questioning the jewellers to whom he is supposed to have sold the ornaments..
Jyoti, who was arrested on August 10, has confessed to the police regarding her in the crimes committed by Pol. It was only after her arrest that the Wai police tracked down Dr Pol at Dadar in north-central Mumbai. Jyoti allegedly helped Pol in burying the bodies of the killed victims.
The six murders came to light after the disappearance of 49-year old (Mrs) Mangal Jedhe, President of Maharashtra Purva Prathmik Shikshika Sevika Sangh (MPPSSS), under the suspicious circumstances.
Investigations have revealed that Pol and his men had allegedly abducted Jedhe and killed her, while she was on her way to Pune on June 16 for her daughter’s child delivered.