Beed witnessed 308 murders; 260 notices to cancel weapon licenses

Officials noted that 2024 recorded the highest number of criminal offences in five years, including 177 attempted murder cases

- Nadeem Inamdar

PUNE: The issue of rising crime in Beed has drawn national attention following the gruesome December 9 murder of the Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. The key suspects remain at large, prompting widespread protests by political groups and citizens, accusing the police and government of failing to curb the crime menace.

Against the backdrop of that, data shared by the local police revealed that a total of 308 murders were reported in the Beed district over the past five years, of which 295 have been detected. As many as 13 murder cases remain unsolved. This year, between January and November, 39 murders occurred, all of which have been solved, police said.

Besides the murders, 765 other crimes were registered in the last five years, with 760 cases solved and five still under investigation.

Beed police data further revealed that 782 rape cases were registered in the past five years, with 777 solved and five remaining undetected. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the district saw an alarming spike in murders—32 in 2020 and 59 in 2021.

In 2024, Beed police registered 39 murder cases from January to November, solving all of them. Officials noted that 2024 recorded the highest number of criminal offences in five years, including 177 attempted murder cases.

Newly appointed Beed Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat said, "Violation of law will not be tolerated. The situation in the district is being brought under control. Citizens should not live in fear and can contact me 24/7. No criminal will be spared, and Beed will be made crime-free."