Pune: Woman Killed Inside Lawyer’s Office; Wife, Minor Daughter Among Three Held
Pune, 18th April 2026: A 32-year-old woman was allegedly murdered inside a lawyer’s office in Pune’s Chandannagar area and police arrested the lawyer’s wife and their 13-year-old daughter for allegedly carrying out the crime over suspicions of an affair. The lawyer has also been taken into custody for allegedly helping conceal the offence and misleading the victim’s family.
The deceased has been identified as Poonam Dinesh Moon, a resident of Yerawada, who had been working as an assistant and secretary in advocate Sanjay Sawant’s office for the last three-and-a-half years.
According to police, Poonam had reported to work as usual on April 16. Sawant’s wife, Swati Sawant, suspected that Poonam was involved in an illicit relationship with her husband. Acting on this suspicion, Swati and her minor daughter allegedly tied the victim’s hands and legs before repeatedly assaulting her with a bat on the head and face, resulting in her death.
When Poonam failed to return home till around 8 pm on Thursday, her husband Dinesh called advocate Sawant. Police said Sawant allegedly attempted to mislead him by claiming that she may have gone to meet a friend.
The murder came to light on Friday morning when Dinesh reached the office located on Old Mundhwa Road. On finding the shutter open, he entered the premises and found Poonam’s body lying in a pool of blood. Police said an attempt had also been made to hide the body inside a sack.
Police said while the lawyer was not directly involved in the assault, he has been named as a co-accused for allegedly suppressing information, assisting the accused and giving false information to the victim’s husband. Chandannagar police and Crime Branch teams detected the case within six hours, officials said.
The case has triggered discussion in political and social circles as advocate Sawant is reportedly associated with the BJP’s legal cell at the state level. Further investigation is underway.
