Pune: Two cousins were arrested on Sunday from Junnar taluka on the charge of bludgeoning a 20-year-old youth to death on August 2 and dumping his body into a gorge at Phalode village in Ambegaon taluka, about 110 km from the city, The Pune Rural police said the crime was the fallout of a land dispute . The murder came to light during the investigation of the missing person’s complaint lodged by the father of the victim, Nikhil Gholap, on Aug 7 with the Otur police. A police team led by assistant inspector Lahu Thate arrested the suspects, Abhishek Gholap (21) and Jitendra Gholap (31), both of Watkhale village in Junnar taluka.
They have been charged under sections 103 (murder), 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A team of Ghodegaon police traced Nikhil’s highly decomposed body on August 15. As no one came forward to claim it, the police had cremated the body.
“Nikhil’s relatives ascertained the identity of the body with the help of photographs and clothes,” investigating officer Nadeem Tadvi of the Otur police said. He said Nikhil’s father came to the police station on August 7 and informed the officers that his son had not returned home since August 1 and his cellphone number was not reachable. “The suspects followed up the case with the police.
They even visited local politicians and requested the latter to pressurise the police to intensify searches for Nikhil,” Tadvi said. He s.