Pune: Seven Accused Sentenced to Life in 2009 Kidnapping and Double Murder Case

A double murder due to a dispute occurred on on 11 July 2009 in the Chakan area of Pune where two people were abducted and later hacked to death by nine accused. In a judgment after nine years of the crime, the Rajgurunagar court has sentenced seven out of nine accused to life imprisonment. Rajgurunagar Additional District and Sessions Court Judge A. S. Syed pronounced the sentence on Friday, September 27th.

Rohidas alias Ganpat alias Balu Jaisingh Thacker (age 39, deceased during trial), Raju Jaisingh Thacker (aged 36), Santosh Jaisingh Thacker (aged-24), Pritam alias Rodya Pandit Thacker (aged 19), Jagdish alias Gotya Shivaji Thacker ( Age-21), Chandrasekhar Shivaji Thakar (age-19), Tushar Prahlad Thacker (age-19) and Raghunath Damu Parkhi (age-57, all residents of Maan village, in Mulshi Taluka) have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the court.

This incident took place in the Pimpri Khurd area near Chakan on 11 July 2009 in the afternoon. Pandharinath Sadashiv Parkhi (age-60) and Chandrakant alias Pappu Gyanoba Parkhi (age-37) were allegedly murdered over a 73-guntha land dispute purchased by the deceased Chandrakant alias Pappu Gyanoba Parkhi.

As per the police, Chandrakant Parkhi handed over the disputed land to the deceased accused Rohidas Thacker after he paid a fixed amount as a deposit for selling purposes. Rohidas was not able to complete the transaction in the decided time and an argument broke out between Chandrakant and Rohidas. A case was registered and the matter was ongoing in the Pune Court. The Rohidas Thacker and his family was enraged as the Chandrakant has filed a case against him.

Meanwhile, on 11 July 2009, the deceased Chandrakant along with his cousin Pandharinath had come to Chakan goat market to sell goats and the accused Rohidas also accompanied them. While returning from the market the accused along with the accomplice traped the deceased Chandrakant and Pandharinath near Chakan and allegedly abducted them and forcefully took them to a secluded shelter in Pimpri Khurd village and allegedly assaulted them with wooden sticks and stones.

Chandrakant and Pandharinath succumbed to their injuries and died on the spot. The accused destroyed the evidence and tried to dispose of the bodies to avert police action.

Later Pandharinath's son Sandeep Parkhi filed a complaint at Chakan police station. Although the dispute between the two families was known in the locality, the police initially arrested different accused not concerning the case, later the investigation was handed over to the CID. Police Inspector Dipali Ghadge and his team traced the accused and arrested them. However, the accused were out on bail after two years.

The case came on board at the Rajgurunagar court in 2014. Special Public Prosecutor Advocate Adv. Vijay Sawant represented the deceased in the court. A total of 20 witnesses were examined by the investigating agency. On September 27, 2024, Judge A. S. Syed sentenced the accused to life imprisonment with a fine of Rupees Two Thousand and five years of rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping and conspiracy to murder.