Pune: A retired Army officer, Haribhau Jagtap (74), was murdered in Indapur, Pune, and the police cracked the case in just 72 hours. The two suspects, Dadasaheb Harihar (30) and Vishal Khilare (23), were arrested after the police followed a key clue.
The murder took place on November 15. The suspects, who were from Faltan in Satara, killed Jagtap after he allegedly sexually harassed Harihar’s wife during Diwali. Angered by the incident, Harihar planned the murder with Khilare’s help.
Jagtap was lured to a crematorium, where the suspects attacked him and killed him by hitting him with wooden sticks. They then burned his body to cover their tracks. The body was found burnt to ashes at the crematorium, but bloodstains on the floor raised suspicions.
The police had no CCTV footage, and there were no immediate clues. However, they found firewood sticks at the crematorium. After checking 36 timber shops in the area, they traced the firewood back to a shop in Faltan, where the suspects had bought it. This led the police to arrest Harihar and Khilare.
The police acted quickly and arrested the suspects by November 18. The team, led by Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh, worked tirelessly to solve the case and bring the culprits to justice.