Mumbai, Jun 1 (PTI) Sacked Maharashtra police sub-inspector Ranjeet Kasle who had earlier claimed that he was offered a contract to eliminate Walmik Karad, key accused in the sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh case, has been arrested from Delhi, an official said on Sunday.

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The crime branch of the Mumbai police took Kasle into custody from the national capital on Friday for allegedly spreading communal hatred, defaming public officials and sharing objectionable content on social media, he said.

Kasle, who was posted in Beed district before his dismissal, was produced in a court, which remanded him in police custody till June 2 (Monday), the official said.

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A case was registered against Kasle following a complaint by a social activist from Bhandup in eastern Mumbai last month, he said.

Kasle was booked for publishing or circulating false information, defamation, criminal actions intended to insult the modesty of a woman under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), besides the IT Act, he said.

In a recent Instagram post, Kasle had also made objectionable remarks against an OBC (Other Backward Classes) leader, he said.

Cases have also been registered against Kasle in Beed district and Mumbai, the official said.

Earlier, Kasle had levelled allegations against former Maharashtra cabinet minister Dhananjay Munde and his close aide Walmik Karad. Kasle had claimed that he was given a “contract” to eliminate Karad in an encounter.

In April, the Inspector General of Police of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Range dismissed Kasle under Article 311(2) (b) of the Constitution. The article outlines an exception to the general rule requiring a disciplinary inquiry before dismissing, removing, or reducing the rank of a civil servant.

Karad is a key accused in the Massajog village head Santosh Deshmukh murder case.

Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and tortured to death on December 9 last year apparently for attempting to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)