The body of an engineering student and amateur dancer, who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered, was found in the Vinchur Gavali Shiv area of Nashik on Friday, a week after the abduction. The police arrested four alleged kidnappers on Friday night. They have been remanded to police custody till June 22 by a local court on Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Nashik CP Kulwantkumar Sarangal said that the police acted swiftly and arrested the accused. The names of the alleged kidnappers were given as Chetan Yeshwant Pagare (25), Akshay Suraj Khule (25) , Sanjay Randheer Powar (27), and Aman Prakat Singh Jat (22).
According to sources, Bipin Gulabchand Bafna was kidnapped on June 8. He had told his family that he was going to attend dance classes in the Ashok Stambh area of Nashik. The deceased was a resident of Ojhar town in Niphad tehsil of Nashik, where his father Gulabchand has a flourishing foodgrain business.
Within hours of the abduction, the Bafna family received a demand of `1 crore ransom and a threat that their son would be killed. The call was made from Bipin’s cellphone. The family promptly registered a complaint with the Panchavati police station.
The police then sent three teams to Mumbai and other places, but drew a blank. On Friday, the Adgaon police station got a call that an unidentified body was lying in the Vinchur Gavali Shiv area of Nashik on a farm owned by one Rajendra Hindurao Salunkhe. Senior PI of the Panchavati police station Bajirao Bhosale reached the spot and tried to identify the body. The body bore marks of severe beatings. Nearby was an abandoned hut, which was apparently used by the kidnappers. The police suspect that that Bipin might have managed to escape through the window but collapsed dead within a few metres distance.
Bipin was the only son of the Bafnas and an engineering diploma student of Bhujbal Knowledge City. He is survived by his sister Harshada, parents and five uncles.
Police sources said that a year ago, one of the alleged kidnapper’s friend tried to court Bipin’s cousin sister. He was severely thrashed by the Bafna family and this could be one of the reasons behind the abduction.