Female engineering student missing from Pune found murdered in Ahmednagar; friend among 3 held

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A 22-year-old female engineering student from Pune who was missing since March 30 was found murdered in Ahmednagar on Sunday, a police official said, reported news agency PTI.

The female engineering student from Pune was allegedly kidnapped by three persons, including a college friend, for ransom and was later strangled, the official said, reported PTI.

"The female engineering student from Pune was pursuing engineering in a college in Wagholi area. On March 29, a male college friend and two others met her and dropped her to her hostel. On March 30, they took her to Ahmednagar. They sought ransom of Rs 9 lakh from her parents. They then strangled her, buried her body on the outskirts of Ahmednagar and removed the SIM of her cellphone," he said, reported PTI.

After her kin filed a missing person complaint, a police probe zeroed in on the three accused through technical analysis, following which they were arrested, the official said.

In another case, the Pune Police has busted a prostitution racket allegedly being run at a spa parlour in the Hinjewadi area of Pimpri Chinchwad and rescued three women with the arrest of two men, including the spa owner, reported ANI.

The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Pimpri-Chinchwad police launched a surprise raid at Breath Spa in the Hinjewadi area on Sunday and busted the prostitution racket operating under the guise of the massage, reported ANI.

According to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) Police Inspector, Devendra Chavan, the unit acted upon a tip-off that certain individuals operating under the spa businesses in Pimpri Chinchwad were coercing young women into prostitution, reported ANI.

Further, he said that acting on the information, the AHTU launched a surprise raid at Breath Spa in the Hinjewadi area. As a result of the operation, three women were rescued on Sunday from the prostitution racket, and two men were arrested, including the spa owner.

The accused individuals have been booked for offences under sections 3, and 7 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 and IPC section 370(3), 34, at Hinjewadi Police Station, he added, reported ANI.

The successful operation was conducted under the directives and supervision of Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinay Kumar Choubey and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Doifode.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)