Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
What began as blind friendship ended behind bars for four youths three of them engineering students after they assisted a friend in kidnapping and brutally assaulting a 17-year-old boy over a one-sided love affair. All four are now in judicial custody following swift police action by Osmanpura Police.
The incident took place on June 7, when Ashish (name changed), a NEET aspirant from Sillod taluka, was forcibly taken from Utsav Chowk by Aniket Uddhav Kanse (22, Guest House Road, Paithan), who suspected him of speaking to a girl Aniket had unreciprocated feelings for. Along with his friends Abhishek Shisode (22, Bolatgaon), Mahesh Wagh (20, Gevrai), and Ajay Mahapure (19, Nanegaon) Aniket held the victim captive for 12 hours. The group first thrashed Ashish at a ground in Pratapnagar and later at Sai Tekdi using iron rods and belts, leaving his body swollen and injured. The attackers dumped him near his rented room around 8 am the next day. Upon receiving the complaint, PI Atul Yerme and PSI Gore launched an investigation. Since Ashish recognized only Aniket, police traced him in Paithan and arrested the other three soon after. According to officials, Aniket is a B.A. student and son of a catering business owner. Abhishek is pursuing B.Tech, Mahesh is a mechanical engineering student, and Ajay is studying electronics and telecommunication at reputed colleges in the city. Though only Aniket had a personal grudge, his friends joined the crime out of loyalty an act that now sees all of them facing serious charges and jail time.