Pune: A 20-year-old youth from Pimpri, who was invited by his four friends on Wednesday night for birthday celebrations, was found murdered by Pune Rural police on Friday morning at a remote spot in Nandegaon hills, near Symbiosis College road (Lavale campus).

The deceased was identified as Aditya Khot, a resident of Pimpri gaon in Pimpri. Khot was brutally murdered with sharp-edged weapons and blunt objects by his four friends on suspicion of helping a minor girl, who was allegedly raped by one of the accused Monu Taank (22), said police.

The four accused, including Taank and Jatin Mewati, invited the victim to celebrate the birthday of one of the accused, who turned 18 on Wednesday. All the accused are in the age group of 18-22. A missing report was also filed by the family of the victim after he disappeared and did not return home.

Anirudh Gije, Police Sub-Inspector, Paud police station (Pune rural), said, “The four accused lured the victim into their trap on the pretext of birthday celebrations and took him to Nandegaon hills, where they gruesomely murdered him with choppers and stones.”

Prime accused Taank conspired to kill Khot with the help of Mewati and two other accused, just on the suspicion that Khot helped the minor girl raped by him, said Gije.

Taank was booked by Pimpri police for abduction and rape of a minor girl and was sent to jail. After coming out of jail, he planned to kill Khot.
According to Paud police station, the body of the victim was noticed by two motorcycle-borne commuters on Friday morning in Nandegaon hills, who then reported it to Paud police.

Police have registered a case of murder against the four accused, who are still at large.