In a significant breakthrough, the Pune Rural Police have apprehended two migrant daily wage labourers in connection with the brutal murder of a 38-year-old man in Saswad. The investigation took a darker turn when it was revealed that one of the accused was also involved in a separate homicide case in Ahilyanagar district just weeks prior.
The Gruesome Discovery and Swift Investigation
The body of the victim, identified as Raju Borade (38), was discovered behind a liquor shop in Saswad on December 9. He had suffered fatal injuries with his throat slit. A coordinated effort was launched immediately, involving teams from the Crime Branch led by Senior Police Inspector Avinash Shilimkar and the Saswad police station under Inspector Kumar Kadam.
Superintendent of Police (Pune Rural) Sandeep Singh Gill detailed the crucial lead. "During the investigation, we recovered CCTV footage which showed two men walking with Borade," he stated. While police were circulating photographs of the suspects, constable Aksha Chile spotted one of them near the crime scene and took him into custody.
Confession Reveals Motive and a Shocking Criminal Past
During interrogation, the arrested individual, Suraj Prakash Nishad (34) from Durg, Chhattisgarh, confessed to the crime. He named Niraj Goswami (25) from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, as his accomplice. According to the police, all three were strangers who met by chance.
The fateful incident occurred on the evening of December 8. The trio were consuming alcohol together when a heated argument erupted over a trivial matter. The police report indicates that an intoxicated Borade allegedly threatened Nishad and Goswami with a knife. In retaliation, the duo led him to a secluded spot, overpowered him, and used his own knife to slit his throat.
The probe uncovered an even more alarming history. SP Gill added, "One of the accused, Niraj Goswami, was also involved in the murder of 22-year-old Vikas Andhare in Jamkhed, Ahilyanagar district, on November 23 following a monetary dispute." This revelation points to a pattern of violent behaviour.
Migrant Workers Turned Accused: The Aftermath
Investigators revealed that the two accused had arrived in Saswad looking for employment roughly 15 days before the December 9 murder. Their search for daily wage work ended in a violent crime that has shocked the local community. Both Nishad and Goswami are currently in police custody as authorities continue their investigations into both murder cases.
This case highlights the challenges of tracking inter-district crime and the potential for violence stemming from disputes among transient populations. The Pune police's use of CCTV footage and alert ground staff proved decisive in cracking the case quickly and preventing the suspects from fleeing the area.
