Pune, India – In a shocking development, a 19-year-old youth was arrested and a minor boy detained on Tuesday for allegedly murdering their friend, a Class 12 student, in a gruesome crime that has rattled the community in Ahilyanagar district. The victim’s dismembered body parts were discovered dumped in two wells in Danewadi village, Shrigonda tehsil, near the Pune-Ahilyanagar border, police confirmed.
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The victim, identified as Mauli Satish Gavhane, a 19-year-old resident of Danewadi, went missing on March 6 after leaving home to attend his Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination at an allotted center at CT Bora College in Shirur, Pune district. When he failed to return home and his family could not contact him, his parents lodged a missing person’s complaint with the Shirur police station under Pune rural jurisdiction on March 9.
The investigation took a grim turn when, on March 12, a sack containing severed human body parts—including a head, two hands, and one leg—was recovered from a well owned by Vitthal Dattu Mandge in Danewadi. Based on identification marks and an earring, the family confirmed the remains belonged to Mauli.
A subsequent search led to the recovery of another sack containing additional body parts on March 15 from a second well near the banks of the Ghodnadi River.
Police identified and apprehended two suspects: Sagar Dadabhu Gavhane, a 19-year-old from the same village, and a minor boy aged 17 years and nine months, both of whom were reportedly close friends of the victim. According to a senior officer from Ahilyanagar police, preliminary investigations suggest the motive stemmed from a personal dispute. “Prima facie, the accused suspected that Mauli had defamed them by spreading rumors about their closeness, possibly hinting at a same-sex relationship,” the official stated. However, the police are still verifying whether this was indeed the case or if other factors contributed to the crime.
The accused allegedly lured Mauli under a pretext—possibly using the guise of a game like Ludo, as suggested by some reports—and killed him by strangulating him before dismembering his body. “The accused confessed to using a sharp sword to murder the victim, though we suspect other tools were used to sever the body into pieces,” the officer added. The body parts were then stuffed into two sacks and dumped into separate wells to conceal the crime.
The investigation revealed that Mauli had not reached his exam center in Shirur as initially assumed. Despite a family member’s claim that he was spotted near the college gate around the exam time, police found no evidence to support this, indicating the murder may have occurred shortly after he left home on March 6. The accused had reportedly been planning the crime for over a month, pointing to premeditation.
Fact Check
Victim’s Identity and Disappearance: Confirmed. Mauli Satish Gavhane, a 19-year-old Class 12 student from Danewadi, went missing on March 6, 2025, after leaving for his HSC exam. His family filed a missing person’s complaint on March 9, consistent with police records.
Discovery of Body Parts: Verified. Severed body parts were recovered from two wells in Danewadi on March 12 and March 15, identified as Mauli’s by his family based on physical markers.
Arrests: Accurate. Sagar Dadabhu Gavhane, 19, was arrested, and a minor aged 17 years and nine months was detained on March 18, 2025, as confirmed by Ahilyanagar police.
Motive: Partially verified. Police state the accused suspected Mauli defamed them over their “closeness,” with a possible reference to a same-sex relationship rumor. However, this remains under investigation and is not fully substantiated yet.
Method of Murder: Under scrutiny. The accused claimed to have used a sword, but police suspect additional tools were involved in dismembering the body, pending forensic confirmation.
Community Response and Ongoing Investigation
The horrific nature of the crime has sparked outrage among villagers, who staged a roadblock protest near the Seventeen Arches Bridge in Shirur on March 17, demanding swift justice. The police have deployed multiple teams to probe the case further, focusing on technical evidence and witness statements to corroborate the accused’s confessions.
This incident adds to a disturbing trend of violent crimes in the region, leaving residents of Pune and Ahilyanagar districts in shock, especially given the victim’s young age and the brutality involved. Authorities have assured a thorough investigation to ensure all aspects of the case are uncovered and justice is served.
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