Overview
- Police say the accused, a 25-year-old man, took the 23-year-old woman to the Naikwadi waterfall area and the incident occurred on Friday, October 9, after which he initially reported her missing.
- Investigators questioned the man after finding inconsistencies in his account and say he confessed to pushing her; officers recovered the body on October 10 from the spot he identified and relatives confirmed the identity.
- Authorities have charged the suspect under the murder provision of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Section 103(1)) and obtained a five-day police custody remand while the probe continues.
- Police have seized the mobile phones of both people for forensic and chat-history analysis and sent the body to CPR Hospital, Kolhapur, for a post-mortem that officials say will clarify cause and manner of death.
- The case has prompted local calls for a fast trial and tense public reaction in Gargoti and Patgaon, and investigators say the chat records and forensics will be central to proving whether the death was homicide or an accident.