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Pune Crime Files | How Snapchat posts led relative to plan and execute murder of 13-year-old kabaddi player

The police said the accused, who lived with an aunt after his mother’s death, took the help of two minor accomplices to carry out the murder at Yash Lawns in Pune’s Bibwewadi area.

5 min readPuneUpdated: Dec 22, 2025 02:13 PM IST

A Pune court has sentenced 26-year-old Shubham Bhagwat to life imprisonment for the 2021 brutal murder of a teenage kabaddi player. (representational image)

A Pune court last week sentenced a man to rigorous life imprisonment for the brutal murder of a 13-year-old girl in the city’s Bibwewadi area four years ago. Shubham alias Rushikesh Bajirao Bhagwat, a resident of Sukhsagar Nagar near Katraj, was 22 when he stabbed the kabaddi player around 44 times in front of her friends.

According to the police, the victim Kshitija Anant Vyavahare, a resident of Super Indira Nagar in Pune, was Bhagwat’s distant relative. A student of Class 8, she was undergoing kabaddi training at the Yash Lawns ground in Bibwewadi on the day she was killed.

Harassment and warnings

Investigators said that Bhagwat had been living with his maternal aunt after his mother’s death. He had allegedly been harassing Kshitija and had claimed to be in love with her, but her family had warned him against it. Meanwhile, Bhagwat started working as a security guard at a private company in Mundhwa.

As per the police records, on October 9, 2021, he saw images uploaded by Kshitija – in which she was seen with a boy – on the social media platform Snapchat. He then went to Yash Lawns, where Kshitija was practising kabaddi, but the boy was not with her.

On October 12, he saw two more photographs of Kshitija with the boy on social media, officers said, adding that the minor girl had also asked him not to contact her. Upset, Bhagwat decided to kill her and die by suicide. Accordingly, that day, he procured a knife from a hotel, purchased a sword, a scythe and a lighter that looked like a pistol.

The police said that he then called two of his friends, both minors, and got the sword sharpened through one of them by paying Rs 100. He then discussed with them his plan to murder the girl with his friends, officers added.

The fateful day

The investigation revealed that the three went to Yash Lawns on a motorcycle around 5.15 pm on October 12, where Kshitija had come for kabaddi training with other girls, including her cousin Shrutika Vyavahare.

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Kshitija questioned Bhagwat for coming to the spot, and reiterated that she had no relation with him. Officers said that the man then took out a knife and placed it at her throat. The girl’s friends rushed to her help, but Bhagwat and his accomplices threatened them by pointing the fake gun. Unaware that the gun was fake, the girls stepped aside.

According to investigators, Bhagwat then slit the girl’s throat and attacked her multiple times with sharp weapons, leaving a pool of blood. After the accused fled the spot, one of the girls alerted the police control room, following which a police team reached the crime scene and seized a knife, fake pistol and other items. Kshitija’s body was taken for post-mortem.

Her cousin Shrutika subsequently lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at the Bibwewadi police station against Bhagwat and his aides under sections 302 (murder), 506(2) (criminal intimidation), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of the Indian Arms Act.

Trial that lasted 4 years

The police said that after the murder, Bhagwat consumed a rat poison tablet and fell unconscious. On regaining consciousness early on the next day, he reached Bharti Vidhyapeeth police station and confessed to the murder and the purchase of weapons. He was handed over to the Bibwewadi police which formally placed him under arrest. The police also apprehended his minor accomplices, who were taken to an observation home as per the law.

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On December 29, 2021, investigators filed the chargesheet against Bhagwat. Advocate Hemant Zanjad was appointed the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in the case. The prosecution examined nine witnesses, including the girls who witnessed the murder, and Police Inspector Anita Hivarkar, the investigation officer.

‘Girl had a bright future in sports’

SPP Zanjad sought the death penalty for the accused, claiming that the crime he committed was heinous in nature and came under the ‘rarest of rare’ category. Zanjad submitted that Kshitija was the only daughter of her parents. “She was preparing for the national kabaddi tournament and she had a bright future in sports. All the dreams of her and her parents have been destroyed by the accused….,” he stated before the court.

Advocate for the accused, Yashpal Purohit, however, submitted that the accused had no criminal antecedents. “He was just 22 years of age at the time of the incident. It was due to a fit of anger and spur of the moment [that] the accused might have taken such an extreme step to kill the deceased… A reformative approach needs to be taken in this case and minimum punishment has to be awarded,” he said.

After hearing both sides, Additional Sessions Judge S R Salunke held the accused guilty of murder on December 16, 2025, and awarded him rigorous life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 5,000. The case against the minors is yet to be decided, the police said.

Chandan Haygunde

Chandan Haygunde is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With over 20 years of experience in journalism, he is one of the region's most authoritative voices on crime, national security, and legal affairs. Professional Profile Specialization: He specialises covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the ‘Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation’ in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He is at the helm of the widely read weekly series “Pune Crime Files”. He is widely recognized for his deep-dive coverage of the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and the Elgaar Parishad investigation. Key Beats: His portfolio includes covering crimes mainly under the jurisdiction of Pune City, Pune rural and Pimpri Chinchwad Police, along with the sensitive cases from the state, being investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Background: Before his long tenure at The Indian Express, he worked with other Marathi and English publications, giving him a unique grassroots understanding of Maharashtra's socio-political landscape. Awards and Recognition: He got the CMS PANOS Young Environment Journalist Award in January 2014 for investigative reports on illegal activities in Sahyadri Tiger Rerserve. He received the award for outstanding investigative journalism by the Lokmat group in Pune in January 2020, “Missing since 2010, Pune youth a ‘Maoist Commander’ in Chhattisgarh”, which appeared on July 9, 2019. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) In recent months, Chandan’s reporting has focused on high-profile terror case investigations, inter-state firearms racket, leopard movements in Pune city, cyber scams and hearings of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry. 1. High-Profile crimes and terrorism cases “Techie linked to Al-Qaeda preached democracy is against Shariat” (Nov 17, 2025). Reporting on the ongoing investigation into the arrest of IT professional Zubair Hangargekar (37) from Pune for alleged terror links. “The case against Jyoti Jagtap, member of ‘Maoist front’ Kabir Kala Manch and Elgaar Parishad organiser, granted interim bail by apex court” (Nov 20, 2025) Tracking the updates in the high profile Elgaar Parishad case related to the alleged naxal activities in urban areas. “How NIA arrested doctor turned ‘ISIS recruiter’ in Maharashtra terror module case” (Nov 24, 2025) After the arrest of doctors in Delhi Red Fort blast, a report on alleged terror links of a consulting anaesthetist from a Pune hospital. “A year after loco pilot averts tragedy by spotting gas cylinder on railway track, probe still inconclusive” (Dec 8, 2025). Report on the unsolved case of a suspected sabotage incident, which could have derailed a train. “No records of Sambhaji Maharaj’s cremation available: Author, ex-IAS officer Vishwas Patil tells Koregaon Bhima panel” (Dec 1, 2025) Reporting on a sensitive issue related to the Koregaon Bhima violence. 2. Inter-state firearms racket "Pune police swoop down on ‘village of pistols’ in Madhya Pradesh; 36 detained, 50 kilns destroyed" (Nov 22, 2025) "Recce a week before, microplanning: how Pune police raided ‘village of pistols’ in MP" (Nov 24, 2025) Reporting on the illegal gun manufacturing units in Umarti village, Madhya Pradesh 3. Cybercrime & Financial Scams “Pimpri Chinchwad police arrest ‘bank account supplier’ with links to China, nationwide cyber scams" (Nov 27, 2025) An investigative look at the modus opernadi of international cyber-gangs cheating high-earning professionals across the country ‘Your case linked to Pahalgam terrorist’: Pune businessman loses Rs 1.44 crore to fraudster posing as NIA chief" (Oct 18, 2025) Report on the tricks played on cyber scammers cheating people through digital arrest frauds Signature Style: The Investigative Hit Chandan is known for his ability to cultivate deep-cover sources within the police and intelligence agencies. His writing often goes beyond the "police version" of events, providing historical context and identifying systemic lapses. He is particularly respected for his balanced reporting on sensitive communal issues and his persistent tracking of the Maoist urban-link cases, making his columns essential reading for legal experts and policymakers. X (Twitter): @chandan_pune ... Read More

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