Two arrested for brutally killing friend on a trip to Mahabaleshwar

According to the police, the victim Aditya Ganesh Bhagat had left Pune on Saturday with three friends for a leisure trip to Mahabaleshwar in an Innova Crysta. Later that day, his mutilated body was found dumped in an open plot, locally known as ‘Secret Point’, near Sanaswadi village in Mangaon taluka

NAVI MUMBAI: The Raigad police have arrested two young men and launched a search for a third for allegedly murdering their 22-year-old friend during a road trip from Pune to Mahabaleshwar.

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According to the police, the victim Aditya Ganesh Bhagat had left Pune on Saturday with three friends for a leisure trip to Mahabaleshwar in an Innova Crysta. Later that day, his mutilated body was found dumped in an open plot, locally known as ‘Secret Point’, near Sanaswadi village in Mangaon taluka. He suffered multiple sharp-weapon injuries to his head, neck and hands, indicating a brutal assault. On being alerted by some passersby, the police arrived at the spot and sent the body for a post-mortem examination. Subsequently, a case was registered under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the unidentified accused.

“With no identity documents found on the body, we launched a rapid identification exercise, circulated photographs across police stations in Raigad district and Pune city and rural areas. Inputs from informants, missing persons’ records and technical analysis helped identify the victim within hours,” said a police officer.

The police’s investigation, based on technical evidence and intelligence inputs, revealed that he was killed by his friends, Aniket Mahesh Wapagare, 26, Tushar alias Sonya Sharad Patole, 24, and Prajjwal alias Sonya Santosh Hambir, all residents of Pune. Subsequently, Wapagare and Patole within eight hours of registering the case. During interrogation, they told the police that an argument broke out inside the vehicle while they were passing through the Tamhini Ghat section, allegedly over a dispute involving money. It soon escalated and they strangled Bhagat with a rope.

“The vehicle was then diverted to an isolated stretch near Sanaswadi village, where Bhagat was dragged out and repeatedly attacked with a sharp weapon, inflicting fatal injuries. The accused then fled the scene, leaving the body behind,” the officer said.

Police said further investigation is underway to recover the murder weapon and reconstruct the exact sequence of events leading to the killing. The third accused, Hambir, is absconding, and multiple teams have been formed to trace him.