Pune Police Crack ‘Murder’ Case in 72 Hours, CCTV ‘Reveals’ Drunk Man Run Over by Dumper in Manjari
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Mundhwa/Manjari, 19th May 2026: The Mundhwa Police Station (Pune City Police) officials have solved a suspected murder case involving 41-year-old Tipanna Pattyappa Rathod, whose body was discovered with severe head injuries on May 16, 2026, near the Lonkar Petrol Pump in Manjari.
The investigation team initially registered a murder case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). By retracing the victim’s steps and learning of his alcohol addiction from relatives, the team, led by Senior PI Smita Vasanik and PI Sagar Gode, analyzed footage from 70 CCTV cameras to determine that the death was actually a tragic accident caused by a dumper truck.
The investigation revealed that the victim had fallen asleep on the open ground in an intoxicated state when a dumper driver, identified as 39-year-old Rameshwar Tukaram Pendharkar, arrived at the site to unload debris between 2:12 AM and 2:19 AM.
Due to the darkness and the presence of garbage heaps, Pendharkar failed to see Rathod and accidentally ran him over, killing him instantly.
This breakthrough was achieved through the coordinated efforts of API Ganesh Piguvale, API Sanjay Mali, and PSIs Yuvraj Poman and Kaviraj Patil. Following his detention, Pendharkar confessed to the accident, leading the police to modify the charges to BNS Sections 281 (rash driving) and 106(1) (death by negligence), along with various sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.
The investigation was conducted under the guidance of Additional Commissioner Manoj Patil, DCP Sagar Kavade, and ACP Atulkumar Navgire.
The team included PSI Rohidas Ugale and Police Havaldars Rahul More, Shivaji Dhande and police personnel Rahul Dhotre, Yogesh Gaikwad, Vishaldada Bankar, Rupesh Todekar, Sachin Borate, Akshay Dhumal, Swapnil Rasakar, Yogesh Raut, Satish Katrale, and Kalpana Survase.
