When Dr. Pramod Ghuge, a renowned nephrologist, was detained by Latur police in connection with the murder of 35-year-old Balu Dongre, a hospital security supervisor at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the case took an unexpected turn. Dr. Ghuge was arrested on December 23, 2024, after he was claimed to have been hiding at a yoga center in Haridwar. A hospital compounder, who is thought to have assisted Dr. Ghuge in carrying out the murder, was also named by the police as a second suspect. Following Dongre’s death on December 11, the police filed a formal complaint against the two.
Dr. Ghuge first attempted to deceive the authorities by asserting that Dongre’s death was an accident. To bolster this story, he even damaged Dongre’s bike and sent a hospital employee to the police station, claiming that Dongre had been taken in dead following a car accident. Later on, though, the police learnt that Dongre’s death was not an accident.
According to Latur’s Superintendent of Police, Somay Munde, the murder was most likely the result of a quarrel between Dongre and Dr. Ghuge over money. After drinking alcohol on the evening of December 11, the two men allegedly demanded that Dongre be included as an accused in a “prevention of atrocities” case filed against Dr. Ghuge. A furious quarrel resulted from Dongre’s refusal to comply with his demands for money. As the argument intensified, the two allegedly attacked Dongre with blunt weapons, such as a stick, on the hospital patio. After an hour or so of the attack, Dongre finally passed out from internal bleeding, which ultimately caused his death.
When the doctor learnt of Dongre’s passing, he told her family that a car accident was the cause of death. But when the family members saw Dongre’s injuries, they went to the police, which led to an investigation. Later, the autopsy verified that Dongre’s death was caused by attack rather than an accident. On the basis of the family’s complaint, the police subsequently filed a murder case on December 12.
Dr. Ghuge and the compounder left the city after the investigation. But after Latur police forces were able to apprehend Dr. Ghuge, SP Munde tracked him down to Haridwar, where he was taken into custody. Financial disagreements and a possible attempt by Dr. Ghuge to silence Dongre on the upcoming legal case against him seem to be the driving forces behind the murder.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
