Pune police have initiated a murder investigation following the discovery of 24-year-old Swapnali Umesh Pawar’s body concealed in the storage compartment of a sofa-cum-bed. Her husband, Umesh Pawar, a cab driver, had been searching for her for two days, unaware that her body was hidden in the very furniture he had been using.
Swapnali, a resident of Hundekar Vasti near Hadapsar, was last in contact with her husband on the morning of November 7. Umesh, who was in Beed for work, had called her before returning to Pune. Upon his arrival, when he found her missing, he spent two days looking for her in the city.
The chilling discovery came on Saturday morning when Umesh noticed some valuables were missing from their home and later found her body in the sofa's storage unit. Police from Phursungi station responded immediately, and a postmortem revealed that Swapnali had been strangled, with nail marks visible on her neck.
Authorities suspect that someone known to Swapnali may have been involved in the crime, as there was no evidence of forced entry into the apartment. Deputy Commissioner of Police R Raja confirmed that the suspect’s phone has been off since the discovery of the body. Investigators have also established that Umesh was not in Pune when the crime occurred. Preliminary findings suggest the suspect was a frequent visitor to the couple’s flat and had even stayed overnight at times.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Ashwini Rakh stated that forensic evidence, including fingerprints and a canine trail, is providing valuable leads. Police are also reviewing nearby CCTV footage to help trace the suspect. An FIR has been filed for murder and robbery, and the authorities are actively following up on leads to apprehend the individual responsible.