BJP worker kidnapped in Maharashtra; political angle suspected

India Aug 09, 2025

A BJP worker named Sharanu Shivray Hande was kidnapped from Solapur on Thursday. He supports local MLA Gopichand Padalkar.
Police tracked the kidnappers near the Karnataka border, rescued Hande (who's now recovering from injuries), and arrested four suspects.

Investigation underway

The accused—Amit Surwase, Sunil Pujari, Deepak Meshram, and Abhishek Mane—are all from Solapur. Police seized a car and iron weapons used in the crime.
MLA Padalkar has accused NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar of planning the kidnapping, saying it was politically motivated.
Pawar strongly denied this and said anyone breaking the law should face action.
The investigation is ongoing, with police looking into possible political motives behind the incident.