Three who killed Pune student and sought ransom were debt-ridden, wanted to make money fast: Police

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Three persons who allegedly killed a woman engineering student from Pune last month and demanded Rs 9 lakh ransom from her family were debt-ridden and wanted to earn quick money, which prompted them to commit the crime, police said, reported news agency PTI.

On March 30, Pune student Bhagyashri Sude (22) was allegedly kidnapped by Shivam Fulawale, her college friend, Suresh Indure and Sagar Jadhav from Viman Nagar area in Maharashtra's Pune city, they said, reported PTI.

The three persons then allegedly strangled her to death and buried the body on the outskirts of neighbouring Ahmednagar city. They later sought a ransom of Rs 9 lakh by sending a message on a phone number of her parents, an official from Vimantal police station said on Tuesday, reported PTI.

The woman's body was found in Ahmednagar on Sunday.

"During the investigation, it has so far come to light that the accused were facing financial distress and were debt-ridden. They wanted to earn some quick money and hatched a plan to kidnap Sude," the official said, reported PTI.

After the Pune student's parents filed a missing complaint, the police zeroed-in on the three persons and arrested them, reported PTI.

The accused told the police about the killing and also showed the place where they had buried the body, the official said.

The three accused were on Monday produced before a Pune court which remanded them to police custody till April 15, he added.

In another case, a 19-year-old university student in Pune was attacked allegedly by five unidentified individuals after they accused him of 'love jihad', police said, reported ANI.

The incident took place on Sunday afternoon on the university campus while the student, a boy, was with two female classmates.

According to the police, the victim filed a complaint at the local police station stating, "I, along with the two female friends, was returning after having a meal when four-five unidentified persons on motorbikes approached me on the university campus and asked me to show my Aadhaar card," reported ANI.

The student alleged further that after seeing his name on the identity card, one of the persons who accosted him asked if he had come to the university to engage in 'love jihad'. He was assaulted thereafter, reported ANI.

Meanwhile, on the complaint filed by the victim, the police registered a case under IPC sections 143, 147, 149, 323, 504, 506 and other relevant sections on Sunday and opened an investigation into the incident, reported ANI.

The university management also announced the setting up of a fact-finding committee in light of the incident, reported ANI.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)