Pune Teen Murder Case: Social Media Trap Ends in Brutal Killing, Four Held
Nasrapur Child Murder Case: Post-Mortem Report Reveals Disturbing Details, Probe Intensifies
Pune was shaken by a chilling crime that exposed the dark misuse of social media, after a 17-year-old boy was abducted and brutally murdered in what police say was a revenge attack rooted in past hostility. The incident, which occurred in late December, involved careful planning, deception, and extreme violence.
According to investigators, the accused used a girl’s Instagram account to befriend the victim and gain his trust. After days of online interaction, the boy was persuaded to come to the Katraj area of Pune on December 29. Unaware of the danger awaiting him, the teenager left home on his scooter that morning. Once he reached Katraj, the situation took a deadly turn.
Police revealed that the victim was intercepted by the accused and forcibly taken to a secluded hilly area in Khed–Shivapur. There, he was brutally attacked with stones, sticks, and a koyta (machete), leading to his death. In an attempt to conceal the crime, the accused dug into the soil in the hills and buried his body.
The deceased has been identified as Amansingh Surendrasingh Gachand (17), a resident of Tingrenagar, Vishrantwadi, near Pune International School. His mother, Anita Surendrasingh Gachand (44), reported him missing on December 31, two days after he failed to return home.
Following the missing complaint, the Vishrantwadi Police, along with Crime Branch Unit 3, Pune City, launched an intensive investigation. Using mobile phone call detail records (CDR) and location tracking, officers traced the victim’s last movements to the Katraj area. A police team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Nikhil Pingale, Inspector Sampatrao Raut, and Assistant Inspector Mahesh Bhosale tracked the suspects to Belagavi (Belgaum), Karnataka, where they were detained.
Prathamesh Adhal (19), resident of Uttamnagar, Pune
Nagesh Balaji Dhabale (19), resident of Shivne, Pune
Additionally, two juveniles aged 16 and 17 were taken into custody.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that the murder was driven by an old rivalry. Police stated that when the victim earlier lived in the Shivne area, he had conflicts with the accused, which led them to plot revenge. The use of a girl’s social media profile was a deliberate strategy to lure him without raising suspicion.
Authorities are also investigating the identity of the girl whose account was used, as it appears the profile may have been handed over to facilitate the crime.
The two adult accused were produced before a court on Tuesday afternoon and have been remanded to police custody until January 9. The two minors have been sent to an observation home, as per juvenile justice norms. A local tehsildar was present during the recovery of the buried body, following due legal procedure.
Inspector Sampatrao Raut noted that the victim’s family had moved from Shivne to Tingrenagar just about 15 days before the incident, adding another layer of tragedy to the case.
