Lonavala double murder case solved, robbery was motive
Pune – After two and half months, Pune rural police claimed to have solved the sensational double murder case of a girl and a boy, both engineering students of Sinhgad college, in Lonavala.
One person has been arrested while the second one is on the run. Robbery was the motive, police said.
Last month a special investigation team (SIT) was formed to solve the case and a reward of Rs 50,000 was also announced.
The bodies of Sarthak Wakchoure, 22, and Shruti Dumbre, 21, were found in a forest area near INS Shivaji at Lonavala
on April 3. Both were naked and had their hands tied behind their backs. They were bludgeoned to death with a blunt object. Police officials said injury marks were found on girl’s body. The preliminary post-mortem report did not indicate sexual assault.
Sarthak and Shruti were final-year students of Sinhgad Engineering College, Lonavla. Sarthak, a resident of Rahuri in Ahmednagar, was studying mechanical engineering. Shruti, who is from Otur in Pune, was pursuing a course in computer engineering.
According to Shruti’s friend, Sarthak and she had planned the outing. Shruti, who lived in the campus hostel, had told her friends that she was going out and would return late.
Police said a bike belonging to one of the victims was lying at the spot where the bodies were found.
Sarthak’s friend said the victim was an artist, who aspired to serve the country by joining the defense forces.
Shruti was the most educated person in her family and was to soon be employed at IT giant Accenture, in Pune.
