Pune: 21-Year-Old Woman Found Dead In Dimbhe Canal In Junnar; Accused Rescued, Arrested

Pune: The body of a 21-year-old woman was recovered from the right bank canal of Dimbhe Dam nearly 18 hours after she was allegedly thrown into the water by a man near the Manchar bypass on the Pune-Nashik Highway.

The deceased has been identified as Swapna Popat Bhangare (21), a resident of Manchar and originally from Waghdari village in Akole tehsil of Ahilyanagar District. Police have registered a case against Ramesh Baban Kadale, a resident of Khillarwadi in Junnar tehsil of Pune District, in connection with the incident.

According to police, Swapna worked at a construction site in Nighotwadi village. On Wednesday evening, after finishing work, she was walking along the Pune-Nashik Highway at around 5.30 pm when Kadale allegedly approached her. He reportedly dragged her across the road towards the Dimbhe Dam right bank canal and threw her into the water from a bridge. Kadale then jumped into the canal himself.

The incident was witnessed by Navnath Nighot, Sarpanch of Nighotwadi, who was heading towards his farm at the time. He immediately alerted Kunal Nighot, Rohit Nighot and Samir Nighot. The three youths jumped into the canal and managed to rescue Kadale, who was being swept away by the current. According to locals, Kadale allegedly threw stones at the rescuers during the rescue operation. He was later taken into police custody.

A massive search operation was launched to trace the missing woman. Local youths joined the search efforts, while drones were also deployed to scan the canal. However, she could not be located initially. Authorities later stopped the water supply in the canal to aid the search.

Police personnel and rescue teams continued the operation through the night. At around 10.15 am on Thursday, Swapna's body was found at the same location where she had allegedly been thrown into the canal. The body was recovered and sent for post-mortem examination.

Based on a complaint lodged by Popat Chindhu Bhangare, police registered a case against Kadale at Manchar Police Station. Further investigation is underway to determine the exact motive behind the incident.