Pune Tourist Beaten to Death in Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani; Four Held for Murder

Panchgani, 10th July 2026: A 25-year-old tourist from Pune district was allegedly beaten to death by four local residents in Bhose village near Panchgani after they suspected him of peeping into a house. Police have registered a murder case and taken all four accused into custody.

The deceased has been identified as Akshay Ramesh Jadhav, a resident of Bhigwan in Indapur taluka of Pune district.

According to the Panchgani Police, Akshay had travelled to the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani region with his friends for a holiday. The group was staying at Atithi Villa Hotel and Lodge in Bhose village.

Police said that on Wednesday night, Akshay, along with his friends, consumed alcohol at the hotel. As he had reportedly consumed a large quantity of alcohol, his friends helped him to his room, locked it from the outside for his safety, and went to the hotel’s terrace.

After some time, when they returned, they found that Akshay was no longer in the room. While searching for him, they noticed a crowd gathered about 200 metres from the hotel, along with the light from mobile flashlights.

When they rushed to the spot, they allegedly found a group of local residents assaulting Akshay with wooden sticks, stones, and fists. According to the police, the attackers allegedly suspected that Akshay had peeped into a house in the village, leading to the assault.

Akshay sustained serious injuries in the attack. His friends, with the help of local residents, rushed him to the government hospital in Panchgani. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was later referred to a hospital in Wai and subsequently shifted to Dr Boke Hospital in Baramati, where doctors declared him dead.

Based on a complaint lodged by Vishal Ajit Jadhav, Panchgani Police registered a zero FIR and launched an immediate investigation.

The four accused taken into custody have been identified as:
Suryakant Chandrakant Gole, a resident of Bhose, Mahabaleshwar taluka;
Avinash Satish Bhosale, a resident of Bavdhan, Wai taluka;
Rahul Janardan Rajpure, a resident of Kanur, Wai taluka; and
Amol Ganedev Wadkar, a resident of Chikhli, Wai taluka.
Police have registered a case of murder against the accused, and further investigation is underway.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Salunkhe of Wai Division and Panchgani Police Station’s Assistant Police Inspector D.G. Pawar visited the crime scene to inspect the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The exact sequence of events leading to the assault and the motive behind the attack are being investigated.