Woman, son among three arrested in Chakan for murder; police crack case through liquor purchases

Pune: The discovery of two liquor bottles and opened snack packets near the decomposed body of an unidentified man in Biradwadi near Chakan on Jan 11 helped Pimpri Chinchwad police crack the case, leading to the arrest of three people, including a woman, and the identification of the victim.Police investigations revealed that the murder stemmed from an illicit relationship between the woman and the deceased. "The woman, along with her son and his friend, planned to kill her partner, who was a resident of Parbhani district," senior inspector Jitendra Kadam of Chakan (North) police told TOI.
Kadam said when the body was found in an open plot in Biradwadi, there were no personal belongings to establish the victim's identity, and no CCTV cameras in the vicinity. "At the scene, we recovered two liquor bottles — one empty and one half-empty — along with a water bottle and opened snack packets," he said.The police team initially checked nearby companies and labour colonies to determine whether any worker was missing. Photographs of the body were circulated locally, but without success. "We then traced the liquor bottles by checking over 50 liquor shops and bars. Eventually, we located the shop where the bottles were bought. The shop owner told us that three men on a motorcycle purchased the liquor on Jan 7. We also confirmed that the snack packets were bought from a nearby shop," Kadam said.The officer said the police then examined CCTV footage along a 6km stretch and observed three people riding towards the crime spot, while only two were later seen returning. "Although the motorcycle's registration number was unclear, we identified the vehicle by scanning social media profiles of residents in the area and found a photo of a person with a similar motorcycle," Kadam said.The owner of the motorcycle told police that he had lent it to a friend on Jan 7."We traced the person to Kharabwadi. During sustained questioning, the 21-year-old youth confessed that he, his mother, and a friend had killed the victim. He revealed that the deceased, aged 25, was allegedly harassing his mother. We subsequently arrested the woman, aged 40, and the third accused, aged 19," Kadam said.The plotAccording to Kadam, the woman hails from Parbhani district. Her son works at a private firm in Chakan. She had been in a relationship with the victim, who was employed at an eatery in Parbhani. Around two months ago, she came to Kharabwadi to live with her son, but the victim continued to call and harass her, prompting the duo to plan his murder.The woman called the victim to Chakan. "On Jan 7, the victim arrived by bus. The woman's son and his friend picked him up from the bus stand and suggested they have drinks before going home," Kadam said.After purchasing liquor, the trio went to an open plot where they consumed alcohol. The woman's son then attacked the victim with a sharp weapon. When the victim attempted to flee, he was chased and assaulted again before being beaten to death with a stone. The accused took his mobile phone and documents and fled the spot. "After nearly 20 days of investigation, we arrested all three accused," Kadam said.