A Pune rural police team arrested Nagesh Gadiyappanvar (34) from Haveri district in Karnataka for allegedly murdering his colleague at an under-construction farmhouse in Naroli village, Baramati taluka.
According to Assistant Police Inspector Manoj Navsare of Supe police station, Gadiyappanvar and the victim, Ganesh Chavan (49), both hailing from Karnataka, were working at the site and residing there along with their contractor.
On the night of September 22, while the contractor was away from Baramati, an argument broke out between the two workers over a minor issue. In a fit of rage, Gadiyappanvar strangled Chavan to death, buried his body in a sand mound at the site, and fled.
The next day, the contractor returned to find both workers missing. Gadiyappanvar later contacted him, claiming he had gone out for some work. With Chavan still untraceable, the contractor filed a missing person complaint on September 24.
On September 26, a foul smell at the site led to the discovery of Chavan’s body buried under sand. Police immediately suspected Gadiyappanvar’s involvement and launched a manhunt. His phone was switched off, making tracking difficult.
With help from Karnataka police, the Pune rural team located and arrested Gadiyappanvar in Haveri district on Saturday. During interrogation, he confessed to the murder.
He has been booked under sections 103 (murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said.
