A 20-year-old youth was allegedly beaten to death with a baseball bat by two to three assailants in Pune's Gokhalenagar area during the early hours of Wednesday, in what police suspect was an attack stemming from previous enmity.
The deceased has been identified as Harsh Machindra Jadhav (20), a resident of Gokhalenagar. Police said Jadhav was unemployed and had two previous assault cases registered against him.
According to police officials, the incident took place between 2:45am and 3am when Harsh was sitting inside an autorickshaw parked outside his residence in Gokhalenagar. At that time, two to three individuals allegedly approached him, dragged him out of the vehicle and began assaulting him with a baseball bat.
During the attack, one of the blows struck Harsh on the ear, causing severe bleeding. Realising the seriousness of the injuries, the attackers fled the spot.
Hearing Harsh's screams, local residents rushed out of their homes and found him lying injured and bleeding profusely. He was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. However, doctors declared him dead during treatment.
Senior Police Inspector Uttam Bhajanawale of Chaturshringi Police Station said preliminary investigations indicate that the murder was the result of previous rivalry between the victim and the accused.
Police have identified two minor suspects allegedly involved in the crime.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajnikanth Chilumula told The Free Press Journal that the accused were close friends of the victim and are currently absconding. The dispute allegedly arose over a common girlfriend. However, the matter had earlier been settled. A few days ago, Jadhav and his friend allegedly went to one of the accused's house and abused his family members.
Teams have been formed to trace and apprehend the suspects. The area where the attack took place does not have CCTV camera coverage, making the investigation more challenging. However, police said the suspects have been identified and efforts are underway to arrest them at the earliest.
The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and a case of murder has been registered at Chaturshringi Police Station.
