Pune Youth Beaten To Death In Mahabaleshwar; Four Arrested

A trip to Mahabaleshwar turned tragic for a 25-year-old tourist from Pune district after he was allegedly beaten to death by four local residents in Bhose village. Police have arrested all four accused and registered a murder case.

The deceased has been identified as Akshay Ramesh Jadhav, a resident of Bhigwan in Indapur taluka. According to police, the assault was allegedly triggered after the accused suspected that Jadhav had entered, or attempted to enter, a house in the village.

The arrested accused have been identified as Suryakant Chandrakant Gole (Bhose), Avinash Satish Bhosale (Bavdhan, Wai), Rahul Janardan Rajpure (Kanur, Wai) and Amol Ganedev Wadkar (Chikhali, Wai). Following the registration of a zero FIR, Panchgani police acted swiftly and took all four into custody.

According to information, Jadhav had travelled to Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani with his friend Vishal Ajit Jadhav and a group of companions for a holiday. The group was staying at Atithi Villa Hotel and Lodge in Bhose village.

On Tuesday night, the friends allegedly consumed alcohol at the hotel. As Jadhav had become heavily intoxicated, his companions reportedly made him rest in the room, locked it from the outside for his safety, and went to the terrace to spend some time together.

After a while, when they returned, they found him missing. While searching for him, they noticed a crowd gathered nearly 200 metres away from the hotel, with people using flashlights.

When the group reached the spot, they allegedly found him being assaulted by several locals. Police said the attackers allegedly used wooden sticks, stones and fists, believing that he had entered one of their houses.

Jadhav suffered severe injuries in the assault and was rushed to the Government Hospital in Panchgani. Due to the seriousness of his condition, he was shifted to Dr Boke Hospital in Wai and later referred to a hospital in Baramati for advanced treatment. However, doctors declared him dead during treatment.

Police are further investigating the matter.