Pune Crime News: Boy Called to Katraj Through Girl’s Fake Instagram Profile, Brutally Killed

Vishrantwadi, 7th January 2026: Pune Police have arrested two youths and detained two minors in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a 17-year-old boy from Vishrantwadi, who was allegedly lured to Katraj through a fake social media profile and killed due to an old rivalry. The crime took place on December 29.

The victim, Aman Singh Sunrendra Singh Gachand, a resident of Tingrenagar, left his house on the morning of December 29 on his scooter, telling his family that he was going to work. When he failed to return, his mother Anita Surendra Singh Gachand (44) searched for him at relatives’ and friends’ places. A missing person complaint was finally registered at Vishrantwadi police station on December 31.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Nikhil Pingale said the missing complaint was immediately treated as a kidnapping case as the boy was a minor. “Our crime branch team analysed the victim’s mobile phone records and movements on the day he went missing. Based on technical analysis, we traced his last known location to the Katraj area,” Pingale said.

During the investigation, police found that the victim had been contacted through a girl’s social media account. “The accused created or used a female profile to befriend the boy online. After gaining his trust, he was asked to meet in Katraj. He went there on his scooter, unaware of the trap,” Pingale said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Prathamesh Chindu Adhal (19) and Nagesh Balaji Dhabale (19), both residents of Shivane. Two other accused, aged 16 and 17, have been detained as they are minors. Police tracked the accused to Belagavi in Karnataka and took them into custody.

According to police, the victim was intercepted in Katraj and taken to a secluded hilly area in Khed-Shivapur. “The accused have told us that they assaulted the boy using stones and sharp weapons, leading to his death. The body was later buried in the hills in an attempt to destroy evidence,” Pingale said.

He added that the motive behind the crime was personal enmity. “The accused claimed that the victim had troubled them earlier when all of them were living in the Shivane area. Holding a grudge, they planned the murder,” he said. The body was exhumed in the presence of the local tehsildar following due procedure.

Inspector Sampatrao Raut said the victim’s family had recently shifted their residence. “The Gachand family had moved from Shivane to Tingrenagar around 15 days before the incident,” he said.

Police are also investigating the identity of the girl whose social media account was used in the crime and whether her profile was misused by the accused.

The two adult accused were produced before a court on Tuesday and have been remanded to police custody till January 9. The two minors have been sent to an observation home.