Pune, June 8 -- A fatal road accident in Karad has turned out to be a premeditated murder allegedly masterminded by the victim's wife and her brother following prolonged marital disputes, police said. On June 6, Laxman Shrirang Mandale, 54, an engineer with the water resources department in Shahapur, Thane district, was found fatally injured shortly after arriving in Karad. Mandale reached the Karad bus stop at approximately 5:53 am and informed his wife Surekha Mandale, 36, to pick him up from the Kolhapur naka area. Later, he was discovered critically injured a short distance from the bus stand near Kamal Hospital. Passersby alerted emergency services, and Mandale was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Although the case was initially treated as an accidental death, investigators grew suspicious after examining the circumstances surrounding the incident. Karad city police launched a probe that uncovered evidence of a murder. According to police, Surekha and her brother, Sangram Dinkar Chavan, 40, a resident of Surul in Walwa taluka of Sangli district, allegedly plotted the murder after ongoing domestic disputes. The duo, along with two hired assailants from Mumbai, executed the plan and attempted to pass off the killing as a road accident. Vijay Godse, assistant police inspector (crime), said, "The deceased had called his wife to pick him up from the bus stand early in the morning. His wife went on a two-wheeler, confirmed his location some distance away from the bus stand, and shared the location with the assailants." However, contradictions in the statements given by the accused raised suspicion. "CCTV footage clearly showed that the victim was deliberately run over by a car," said Godse. "Victim was first hit from behind by a car, after which the assailants fled with his bag and personal belongings. The vehicle later returned and ran over the injured man again, killing him on the spot. Investigators said the conspiracy was uncovered through analysis of mobile phone records, technical evidence, CCTV footage and witness statements....