Pune: Lured By Girl's Fake Social Media Profile, Teen Murdered By Friends Over Romantic Jealousy

Last Updated:January 29, 2026, 23:16 IST

Police said the prime suspect harboured deep resentment over the victim's growing friendship with a girl he was in a relationship with

Police apprehended the three minors involved in the crime, all 15-year-old boys. (Image for representation)

Three teenagers allegedly lured their friend through the fake social media profile of a girl, bludgeoned him to death, and dumped his body in Pune’s Mula river.

Police apprehended the three minors involved in the crime, all 15-year-old boys, and said the primary motive behind the brutal murder was romantic jealousy.

According to police, the main suspect harboured deep resentment over the victim’s growing friendship with a girl. The victim was lured to his death on Republic Day through a fraudulent social media profile, the police said.

Senior inspector Sunita Rokade of the Alankar police told Times of India that the suspects created a fake account using the name and photographs of the girl, whom the victim was friendly with. They impersonated her through the profile and convinced the boy to meet at a designated spot, Rokade said.

“The suspect was reportedly in a relationship with the girl and had grown increasingly resentful as she and the victim became closer," Rokade was quoted. “He told investigators he was strictly against their friendship."

The investigators said on January 26, the suspects used the fake account to contact him and lured him to a secluded area on the Mutha riverbank in the Deccan area. They said once the victim arrived at the location, he was bludgeoned with a stone and his body dumped in the river.

The police said the incident came to light after the boy’s mother filed a missing person’s report on January 27. The case was cracked when the victim’s brother checked his social media profile and discovered a message from the fake profile, which was sent on the day he went missing, they said.

“The boy used to manage his social media account through his mother’s phone. When his brother later checked his profile, he discovered a message from a girl sent on the day of the victim’s disappearance," Rokade was quoted. 

The girl was initially under suspicion, but was soon cleared when it was found that she did not send any such message, the police said.

“Further analysis of the profile activity revealed that someone had created a fake account using the girl’s name and photos to lure the boy out," Rokade was quoted.

The police analysed the digital footprint and profile activity to trace the fake account back to the prime suspect. He confessed to the crime and named his two minor accomplices during questioning, they said.

They said the body, however, is yet to be traced despite extensive searches in the Mutha river. The suspects are school dropouts performing odd jobs to support themselves and were from the same locality where the victim resided, they added.

News india Pune: Lured By Girl's Fake Social Media Profile, Teen Murdered By Friends Over Romantic Jealousy

Read More