Social media friend held for woman’s murder at their first meeting

Pune: A 21-year-old woman drowned in the right canal of Dimbhe dam at Nighotwadi village in Ambegaon taluka on Sunday evening after a meeting with a man she had befriended on social media allegedly turned violent.

The accused, who was rescued by villagers after jumping into the canal, was arrested on a murder charge. The woman’s body was recovered on Monday morning.“We have arrested the accused, Ramesh Kadale (25) of Junnar taluka, under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,” inspector Shrikant Kankal of Manchar police told TOI.Kankal said the victim, Swapna Bhangare of Manchar, worked at the reception desk of a construction site along the Pune-Nashik highway at Nighotwadi.

She had been in contact with Kadale through a social media platform for the past two months.“The two decided to meet in person for the first time on Sunday evening. Kadale came to Nighotwadi and met Bhangare after she left work,” Kankal said.During questioning, Kadale allegedly told police that the meeting led to an argument. Bhangare, a graduate, was allegedly unhappy after meeting him. Kadale, who had studied up to Class X and worked as a daily wager, had consumed gutka and allegedly used abusive language.

“A heated argument broke out. Kadale claimed the woman pushed him first. He then allegedly dragged her towards the canal and pushed her into the water,” Kankal said.A local resident noticed the incident and alerted villagers, who rescued Kadale from the canal and handed him over to police. The woman could not be traced despite an immediate search.“Police and rescue personnel resumed the search on Monday morning and recovered Bhangare’s body. It was sent for post-mortem examination,” Kankal said.