In a chilling case that baffled investigators for days, two men were arrested for the brutal murder of a man whose body was found near Aundh District Hospital on the morning of October 7, 2024.
Around 6:45 AM, a student out for a jog discovered the body and alerted Pimpri Chinchwad police. The victim had no identification on him and had been bludgeoned to death with a cement block and rock, according to initial police reports. With no immediate leads, a case of murder was registered at Sangvi police station, and the Crime Branch took over the investigation.
Investigators began combing through CCTV footage from surrounding areas. One clip revealed that the victim had arrived in the area the night before, riding triple on a motorcycle with two others. The group was seen visiting a liquor store and purchasing alcohol.
A breakthrough came when one suspect was seen carrying a white courier delivery bag. This led police to a nearby courier office, where staff confirmed the suspect’s identity as Shiv Mangal Singh (38), a courier executive from Ahoda village, Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh.
Using Singh’s cell number, police tracked him to Parner town in Ahilyanagar district. A highway chase ensued, culminating in the arrest of Singh and his accomplice, Somdatta Dube (22), at a toll plaza in Washim district. Both are from the same village in UP and had been working in Pune.
During interrogation, police finally identified the victim as Jitendra Tripathi (30), also from Ahoda. He had arrived in Pune less than a week before the murder, seeking work. Singh and Dube confessed to killing Tripathi after multiple arguments, stating they had strangled and bludgeoned him to death the previous night.
The case, initially a mystery due to the unidentified body, was cracked through meticulous CCTV analysis and real-time tracking, showcasing a significant success for Pimpri Chinchwad police.
