Pune Crime Shock: Cab Driver Murdered in Tamhini Ghat, Accused Caught Trying to Sell Stolen Car
Pune Crime Shock: Cab Driver Murdered in Tamhini Ghat, Accused Caught Trying to Sell Stolen Car
Tamhini Ghat has once again grabbed headlines, but this time for a shocking crime that has shaken both Pune and Raigad districts. Twenty-two-year-old cab driver Aditya Ganesh Bhagat from Bhosari was lured under the pretense of a trip and brutally murdered by his acquaintances. The perpetrators then attempted to profit by selling his expensive Innova Crysta, setting off a tense chain of events that led to their arrest.
Following the murder, the accused brought Bhagat’s car to Pune, intending to sell it. Baner Police, acting on a tip-off about a suspicious vehicle near Nanavare Bridge, quickly laid a trap. Constable Pritam Nikalje and his team caught Aniket Mahesh Waghmare, 26, inside the car. When questioned about the vehicle, Waghmare initially provided vague and inconsistent statements. Once police revealed their identities, he confessed to killing his friend in Tamhini Ghat only a few hours earlier. He admitted to luring Bhagat under the guise of a Mahabaleshwar trip and, following a dispute over money, killing him by strangulation and repeated blows with an axe.
The body discovered at Tamhini Ghat initially remained unidentified. Investigators from Mangaon Police were able to confirm Bhagat’s identity through a technical examination of a wristwatch found on his hand. This critical evidence ensured that the accused were connected to the crime even before they could attempt to sell the stolen car. Alongside Waghmare, his accomplice Tushar alias Sonya Patole was also arrested and both were handed over to Mangaon Police for further investigation. During a house inspection in Hingne Khurd, Sinhagad Road, Waghmare pushed a police constable and managed to escape, triggering a manhunt led by Crime Branch Inspector Ulhas Kadam.
The murder itself was executed after the accused booked Bhagat’s cab online and drove him along the Tamhini route into Mangaon limits. Following a monetary dispute during the journey, Bhagat was killed and his body abandoned. The stolen car was discovered when Baner Police caught Waghmare attempting to sell it on 13 January, which subsequently led to a full confession regarding the murder. Further investigation revealed that Sonya, the main conspirator planning to sell the vehicle, was traveling from Solapur to Pune. Based on a tip-off, Railway Police Superintendent Ashwini Sanap organized a trap on the Indrayani Express, and Sonya was arrested aboard the moving train. With this, three individuals connected to the murder and car theft have now been taken into custody.
Quick coordination between Baner and Mangaon police, timely public tips, and the use of forensic evidence such as the victim’s wristwatch were pivotal in apprehending the perpetrators before they could benefit from their crime. Authorities continue to investigate the case to ensure that all accomplices are brought to justice and that the full scope of the conspiracy is uncovered.
