The police arrested the 19-year-old accused and apprehended the 14-year-old co-accused. (File photo) The Pune police have arrested a 19-year-old and apprehended a 14-year-old on murder charges after an investigation revealed that a 23-year-old man found dead on a footpath in Pune’s Katraj area was beaten to death using bamboo sticks after he resisted a robbery.
According to the police, on the morning of February 25, some residents came across a body on the footpath of the road connecting Katraj Chowk to Katraj Ghat. At the time, the body was unidentified. A preliminary report from the post-mortem examination revealed that the death had occurred due to a trauma injury to the head from a blunt object.
The police launched an investigation and found that the man was present in the area from the previous evening and had been under the influence of alcohol. A police team worked on various clues, including those from the security cameras installed in the area. The police identified the victim as Mahadev Chendke (23), based on the online payment made by his friend at a liquor store. Chendke was a labourer who also used to carry out minor electrical repairs to earn a living. His family members were contacted after his identity was confirmed.
“Our probe suggests that they tried to rob Chendke, to which he resisted. The two brutally beat him up with bamboo sticks leading to his death. They then fled with Rs 1,500 cash the victim had on him,” the senior inspector at the jurisdictional police station said.
On Tuesday, the police arrested the 19-year-old and apprehended the 14-year-old co-accused. While the teenager was produced before a court and remanded to custody, the minor was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.