Pimpri-Chinchwad: The year 2025 was marked by gruesome crimes and significant challenges for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police. It began in Mahalunge MIDC, where a firing incident targeted a steel factory manager in an alleged extortion attempt by his own cousin. Soon after, the city was shaken by the horrific “Truth & Dare” case, which resulted in the rape of a minor girl. This was followed by the Hinjawadi arson incident, where a disgruntled employee set fire to a bus carrying four people, and then by the tragic Vaishnavi Hagawane suicide case and the Kund Mala incident, which claimed four lives among several others injured.
These are some of the cases that shook the industrial hub of Pimpri-Chinchwad:
1) Firing on Steel Company Manager: The manager of a steel company in Mahalunge MIDC was targeted in a murderous attack orchestrated by his own cousin. The incident occurred on 20th January 2025. The cousin had given a contract (Supari) of Rs 12 lakh to a criminal from Uttar Pradesh.
Pimpri-Chinchwad police arrested both the brother who ordered the hit and the shooter from Uttar Pradesh as they were preparing to flee the country. A total of five accused were arrested, two of whom remain in jail.
2) Rape of a Minor during the ‘Truth and Dare’ Game: A serious case of rape involving a minor girl during a game of ‘Truth and Dare’ surfaced in Ravet on 21st January 2025. Shockingly, the victim, her friend, and the accused became friends via Instagram and were meeting in person for the first time. The incident occurred after consuming alcohol.
The 17-year-old victim, originally from Rajgurunagar (Khed), lived alone in a PG facility in Sant Tukaram Nagar, Pimpri, preparing for the NEET exam. She met a Pune-based Instagram ‘reel star’ girl who had come to stay with her following a dispute with her mother. A liquor party was held there with the accused, leading to this heinous crime.
3) Hinjawadi Bus Arson: Four Employees Burnt Alive: Janardan Hambardikar was a driver for the ‘Vyom Graphics’ company in Hinjawadi Phase-2. On 19th March 2025, while transporting 12 employees to the company, he used a chemical called ‘Benzene’ -- which he had pre-stored in the vehicle -- to set the bus on fire just before reaching the destination.
Four employees were burnt to death merely metres away from their destination. Police investigation revealed this was not an accident but a premeditated conspiracy. The accused claimed employees mocked him, and the owner denied him bonuses or salary hikes.
4) Vaishnavi Hagawane Suicide Case: Perhaps the most high-profile case of this year in Pimpri-Chinchwad started in Bhukum village of Mulshi Tehsil; a married woman named Vaishnavi Hagawane died by suicide on 16th May 2025. Since Vaishnavi’s in-laws had political connections, the case resonated across the country. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar had attended her wedding, where Vaishnavi’s parents handed over the keys of a Fortuner car to the son-in-law, Shashank, in his presence.
Allegations of taking expensive gifts as dowry were made. Police arrested the husband, Shashank; mother-in-law, Lata; sister-in-law, Karishma; father-in-law, Rajendra; and brother-in-law, Sushil Hagawane, along with relative Nilesh Chavan. The name of a Karnataka politician’s son also emerged for allegedly providing shelter to the accused.
5) Indrayani River Bridge Collapse in Kundmala; Four Dead: On 15th June 2025, an old iron bridge over the Indrayani River in Kundmala, Maval Tehsil, collapsed. Four people died, and 50 were injured. According to eyewitnesses, over 150 people were on the bridge at the time.
The bridge was 32 years old and dilapidated. Despite being closed by the administration, locals and tourists continued to use it. Due to the excessive weight, the bridge plunged directly into the river.
6) Devotees’ Tempo Overturns; Ten Women Dead: On 11th August 2025, during the occasion of Shravan Somvar, women from Papalwadi village in Khed Tehsil were travelling to the Kundeshwar Mahadev Temple in a tempo. The driver lost control on a ghat road, and the tempo overturned into a deep gorge.
Ten women died in this horrific accident. Around 25 to 30 women and children were in the tempo, many of whom were seriously injured.
7) Land Deal Dispute: Case Registered at Bavdhan Police Station: A land deal involving 40 acres in Mundhwa, purchased by Amedia Enterprises LLP -- a company owned by Parth Pawar and his cousin Digvijay Patil -- remained controversial. The land, valued at Rs 1800 crore, was allegedly bought for Rs 300 crore, leading to allegations of stamp duty evasion.
Despite the land being in Pune, a case was registered at Bavdhan Police Station (under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate) on 6th November 2025, though Parth Pawar’s name was initially absent. Social activist Anjali Damania intervened to expose several facts.
8) Bribery Scandal: PSI Caught Taking Rs 46 Lakhs
To help an accused in a fraud case, Police Sub-Inspector Pramod Chintamani of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Economic Offences Wing (EOW) demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore. He was caught red-handed while accepting the first instalment of Rs 46.5 lakh.
He has since been dismissed from service. Investigations also revealed he had defrauded citizens by luring them with high investment returns.
9) Five-Year-Old Girl Raped & Murdered: In the most recent case on 13th December on this list, a five-year-old girl from Urse village in Maval tehsil was raped and murdered by her own neighbour. She was playing with her brother near her home when the accused lured her with a chocolate and took her to a secluded area and committed the horrific act.
At first, the accused tried to shake off the police by being evasive and giving vague answers, but the truth eventually came out. The post-mortem report revealed that he had sexually assaulted the girl -- an act done due to perversion -- and then killed her in panic to silence her.
-- Other Major Crimes --
- Brutal Murder Which Shook City: On 12th November, a businessman was shot dead in broad daylight in Charholi, allegedly due to family and political rivalry. On 2nd April, a man was murdered in Bhosari, his body cut into five pieces, and the torso thrown into a quarry in Moshi. In another incident, social activist Nakul Bhoir was murdered in Chinchwad by his own wife.
- Criminals Fire Directly at Police: On 27th November, while a Crime Branch team was chasing a gang of burglars at the Somatane Toll Plaza, the criminals fired directly at the police. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the gunfire at the crowded toll plaza caused panic. These criminals have over 70 cases registered against them.
- Foreigner Attempting Religious Conversion Arrested: Pimpri-Chinchwad Police arrested three people in the Pimpri Camp area, including a U.S. citizen, a local man, and a minor, for allegedly trying to force a resident into converting to Christianity. The complaint was filed after the group allegedly made false promises of peace, happiness, and financial support to coerce the man to change his religion.
- AI Turned Into A Weapon: Incidents of AI-based image morphing also shook the city this year. The most notable case involved a female MBA student from Bavdhan who was allegedly blackmailed by a Mumbai-based man she had met online through a gaming platform. In another incident from Chikhali, a woman’s colleague reportedly morphed her photos and attempted to extort her. In both cases, the crimes were triggered after the women rejected the accused individuals’ alleged romantic advances.
- Alandi Sexual Assault by Externed Criminal: A 40-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by a notorious criminal named, who was supposed to be externed from the city for two years. The perpetrator was living in Alandi illegally despite the police order. A constable, Bhagwat Shep, was suspended for failing to monitor the criminal under the ‘Externed Criminal Adoption Scheme’. The woman he raped was his own mother-in-law.
- Major Cyber Frauds: Major cybercrime in Pimpri-Chinchwad surged in 2025, highlighted by a massive Rs 82-crore data theft where four Hinjawadi IT employees stole company source codes to start their own illegal business. Individual residents also faced devastating losses, including a software engineer in Moshi duped of Rs 1.11 crore through a fake share-trading platform and another victim in Wakad who lost Rs 95.2 lakh to similar investment scams. A widespread "digital arrest" and fake RTO e-challan malware campaign also emerged, where victims were coerced into transferring lakhs to "mule" accounts. Despite these challenges, the Cyber Cell successfully returned over Rs 9.15 crore to fraud victims within the first nine months of the year.
