Pune Crime Files Hinjewadi Pg Murder Love Triangle

The corridors of paying-guest accommodations in Pune’s Hinjewadi, occupied by young IT professionals and students, are usually quiet. But on the afternoon of August 6, that calm was shattered by the brutal swing of an iron rod and violent screams.

A tangled love triangle between three youths ended in a bloody crime, leaving a 22-year-old man dead, a young woman fighting for her life, and triggering a highway escape that only ended when a police blockade on the Pune-Solapur highway trapped the fleeing killer.

According to the FIR, around 11 pm on August 5, a 21-year-old woman arrived at the paying-guest accommodation, seeking a few weeks’ stay, and introduced the facility’s newly appointed manager, Sagar Sahadev Gaikwad, as her boyfriend. Just four days into his job, Gaikwad secured her a room on the third floor, unaware that a shadow from her past was already on its way.

By 3.30 pm the following afternoon, Dinesh Mahadev Zambre, 23, a native of Pandharpur in the Solapur district, showed up at the facility. Zambre allegedly told the lodging owner that he was there to meet Gaikwad, who was staying upstairs with his girlfriend. The owner, suspecting nothing, directed Zambre to the fourth floor, where Gaikwad was inspecting rooms, and went to alert the young manager.

However, Zambre allegedly went to the fourth floor and confronted Gaikwad. Soon, screams were heard from the floor. When people rushed upstairs, they found Gaikwad lying in a pool of blood while Zambre was allegedly attacking him on the head with an iron rod. He also allegedly attacked the woman with the rod, leaving her critically injured.

According to the police, the roots of the crime trace back to Solapur. “Zambre and the woman had been in a relationship since their school days. Both came to Pune to pursue their Bachelor of Computer Applications degree. After the woman came to Pune, she and Gaikwad started seeing each other,” said a police officer.

“The investigation indicates that the Zambre came to the paying-guest facility after learning about the woman’s presence there and confronted Gaikwad. The confrontation escalated rapidly,” the officer added.

As bystanders tried to corner him, Zambre pushed them aside, sprinted down the staircase, and sped off in a white multi-utility vehicle. The brutal assault was captured on the building’s CCTV cameras. Gaikwad was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival, while the woman was admitted to an intensive care unit.

With the killer on the run, Pimpri-Chinchwad police issued an urgent alert to the Pune Rural division. Mapping his probable escape route back toward Solapur, officers set up a blockade near the Uruli Kanchan police station along the Pune-Solapur highway.

As the white MUV approached the blockade, the police intercepted the vehicle and took the accused into custody. He was handed over to the Hinjewadi police for further investigation.

Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010. Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune. Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read More