Pune Crime Files: why 3 convicted for brutally murdering a family of 4 in 1997 walked free

A fresh start turns tragic

Following a transfer, Ramesh Patil, a bank officer, had arrived in Pune on May 9, 1997, accompanied by his wife Vijaya, a postal department employee, and their two children, investigators said. They stayed at a hotel near the Pune railway station from May 10 and found an apartment on rent at Princeton Town Society in Kalyani Nagar through a real estate broker. At the time, some portions of the residential project were still under construction, the police said.

On May 11, the Patil family performed a puja at the apartment and the family began residing there from May 12. He soon hired an autorickshaw to move around the city and visited markets with his wife from May 12 to May 15, purchasing items including furniture, a refrigerator and a television.

On the morning of May 16, the autorickshaw driver returned to the flat to pick them up again, but the family did not open the door of the apartment. After some time, an electrical and hardware shop owner, whom they had called for fitting a geyser, reached the spot. But once again, they did not open the door, prompting the man to inform the site office.

Soon, a labourer at the site went to the terrace of the apartment using a ladder. He found blood on the floor and informed the site authorities. The police were alerted and reached the spot. The apartment’s door to the terrace was found open, officers said.

Inside the apartment, investigators found the bodies of Vijaya and Manjunath. Ramesh and Pooja were found dead in the septic tank, the cover of which was found to have been removed.

The post-mortem revealed multiple injuries on the bodies. Pooja had 25 external and 13 internal injuries, including eight stab wounds, while her brother Manjunath had 10 external and 11 internal injuries, including four stab injuries, besides fractures. There were 56 injuries on Patil’s body, and his wife too had sustained several wounds, the police said.

Investigators also seized knives, screw drivers, and iron rods from the crime scene. The police found that a watchman at the site, his wife, and cousin were missing since the murders took place. A search was launched for them, and a First Information Report (FIR) pertaining to murder was lodged at Yerwada police station.

The investigation and arrests

Within four days, the police arrested the watchman and recovered from him cash of around Rs 39.4 lakh, along with gold ornaments worth Rs 2.8 lakh. His clothes and shoes with blood stains were also seized, officers said. The other two accused were arrested by May 27. The police booked all three of them under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 449 (house trespass to commit offence punishable with death), 302 (murder), 392 (robbery), 407 (criminal breach of trust), 201 (hiding or destroying evidence), and 34 (common intention). The wife and cousin later argued before the court that they were minors at the time of the crime.

The police alleged that the accused killed the Patils to rob their cash of over Rs 45.7 lakh and gold jewellery. They believed that Patil came to Pune from Hubballi with a huge amount of cash. The accused were thought to have committed the crime after observing their luxurious lifestyle and purchases. Officers said the assailants entered the apartment through the terrace door and committed the crime.

Escape, conviction and release

On September 10, 1998, while being taken to court, the accused watchman and his cousin escaped from police custody. The cousin was arrested on January 1, 2001. The trial court in Pune held the watchman’s wife and cousin guilty in the murder case. While his wife was sentenced to life imprisonment, the court awarded the death penalty to his cousin.

Then, in November 2004, the Bombay High Court commuted the cousin’s death sentence to life imprisonment, while upholding the wife’s conviction. Both of them later moved the high court again, claiming that they were minors while committing the crime. Considering the evidence presented in this regard, the high court ordered their release in the case.

In 2011, the key accused watchman, was arrested after being on the run for around 12 years. On December 14, 2021, the trial court in Pune held him guilty and awarded him the death penalty. He was 47 years old at the time. The court pointed out that dragging Ramesh and his daughter into a septic tank after their murder was a “disrespect” and a “gruesome act” to the bodies. Calling the offence “brutal and barbaric”, the court observed that the watchman forced his minor wife and cousin to commit the crime.

However, on December 9, 2024, the high court set aside his death penalty. The order stated that “no case was made out for confirming the death penalty” of the accused. It also set aside his conviction and subsequently, he was released from jail.