Love Turns Fatal: Fidelity Doubts Lead To Gruesome Murder Of Woman Techie In Pune’s Hinjawadi

Mubarak Ansari and Tikam Shekhawat

Hinjawadi, 29th January 2024: A preliminary investigation by the Pimpri Chinchwad police has revealed that suspicion over fidelity became the reason for the murder of the Infosys techie in Hinjawadi. Police investigation has revealed that on the day of the murder, the two dined and shopped together and then came to the hotel and the murder took place.

A judicial magistrate court has remanded the accused Rishabh Rajesh Nigam, a resident of Jankipuram Extension in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, to police custody. The deceased IT engineer Vandana Dwivedi (26) was a native of Indira Nagar in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Based on a complaint from Assistant Police Inspector Somnath Panchal, an FIR has been registered at Hinjawadi Police Station, Pimpri Chinchwad Police.

According to police, both Vandana and Nigam were friends since college. Friendship later turned into love. Meanwhile, Vandana came to Hinjawadi for a job. She was working with Infosys at Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, Hinjawadi. She lived in a PG hostel near the company. Nigam was working as a real estate agent in Lucknow.

Both were in touch with each other on the phone. He felt that Vandana was not communicating with him as expected for the past few days. Nigam suspected that she had fallen in love with someone else. This had often led to arguments between them.

Nigam had come to Hinjawadi on January 25 to meet Vandana. He had booked room number 306 in Hotel Elegant OYO Townhouse in Marunji near Hinjawadi. Vandana met him at the hotel on January 26. That day she went back to the hostel. He called Vandana back to the hotel the next day (January 27), Saturday.

Police officials said that the two shopped together and had dinner together. Both were together throughout the day. At around 9:30 in the night, when both were in the hotel room, Nigam took out a pistol and before Vandana knew anything, shot her in the head and body. After Vandana was covered in blood, he left the room in such a way that nothing happened, closing the door of the room at around ten in the night. A CCTV camera has caught him leaving the room.

As he was fleeing to Lucknow via Mumbai, police checked his bag as Nigam became suspicious during the blockade (nakabandi) imposed by the Navi Mumbai police. When the police detained him and interrogated him, he said that he had killed a young woman in Hinjawadi.

Hence, Navi Mumbai Police contacted Pimpri Chinchwad Police and informed about the murder. After that, when the Hinjawadi police went to the hotel and inspected it, they found Vandana lying in a pool of blood.

Police investigation has revealed preliminary information that accused Nigam killed his girlfriend Vandana suspecting her character. Pimpri Chinchwad Police PRO Assistant Commissioner of Police Satish Mane said that the police investigation is looking into all possibilities.

Hinjawadi police sent Vandana’s body to Sassoon Hospital for autopsy. It has been revealed that five bullets were fired at Vandana. Her body was handed over to relatives today after post-mortem.

Hinjawadi police produced accused Nigam before a judicial magistrate (first class) at the District Court in Shivajinagar today. Public prosecutor Vijay Singh Jadhav sought the police custody of the accused to recover the weapon, conduct a medical examination of the accused, and find out the motive behind the crime. Accordingly, the court remanded the accused to police custody till February 3.