GST officer found dead in car near Beed; 1 detained after note names senior

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A 35-year-old officer working with the GST department in Beed was found dead inside his car on the Solapur-Dhule highway near Kapildhar Road on Saturday afternoon, triggering allegations of harassment by senior officials.The police recovered a note from the officer's pocket, in which a senior officer was named and accused of sustained mental harassment. Based on the contents of the note, the Beed rural police detained one senior officer for questioning.The deceased has been identified as Sachin Jadhav, a resident of Chumb village in Solapur's Barshi taluka. Jadhav served as a state tax officer at the GST office in Beed.Beed superintendent of police Navneet Kanwat told TOI, "During the search, the police recovered a note from Jadhav's pocket. The note reportedly names a senior officer from the same GST office in Beed and mentions prolonged harassment. On learning about his death, the officer named in the note came to the morgue. Fearing that he may be attacked by the victim's relatives, the police took him to the police station. An accidental death case was registered, and based on the findings of the autopsy, we will register a case and carry out the investigation accordingly."Police sources said the preliminary probe revealed that Jadhav left home on Friday, stating that he was heading to the office, but did not return until late at night. After efforts by friends and relatives to locate him failed, a missing persons complaint was lodged. On Saturday afternoon, Jadhav's car was spotted parked on a deserted stretch of the Solapur-Dhule highway near Kapildhar Road.Assistant inspector Balraj Darade, of the Beed Rural police, and his team went to the spot. The vehicle was found locked from the inside. After breaking open the car, the police found Jadhav dead inside. A panchnama was conducted, and the body was sent to the district hospital for postmortem. The police said the exact cause of death would be confirmed after the autopsy.Investigators also found unusual items inside the car. A clay pot containing burning charcoal was recovered from the vehicle. The police suspect that the charcoal was lit inside the closed car, which led to suffocation due to smoke inhalation. Preliminary findings indicated that Jadhav may have died due to asphyxiation, though officials said the postmortem report would provide medical confirmation.Jadhav was known beyond his official role. An alumnus of BSc Agri-Biotech with a MA degree in English, he cleared the Maharashtra Public Service Commission examination in 2012. He later joined the GST department as a state tax officer. Jadhav also guided lakhs of students in English through his YouTube channel and coaching centres, and authored books for competitive exam aspirants.Family members alleged that Jadhav faced harassment from a senior officer for several months, and had formally complained to higher authorities. Relatives also raised questions about his posting, stating that although Jadhav was transferred to Jalna, he continued to work in Beed, and demanded clarity on how this was allowed.