Shelke and wife killed in car crash on Samruddhi Expressway.

Jitendra Shelke, a close associate of jailed self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, and his wife were killed in a car crash on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra on April 17, 2026. Their 14-year-old son sustained serious injuries. While police have registered an accidental death case and are conducting a crash analysis, opposition leaders and activists suspect foul play due to Shelke's recent questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering probe against Kharat.