The clock had just struck midnight in Karvenagar, Pune, when the sound of frantic knocks echoed through the quiet streets. Amol Nivangune opened the door of his home, unaware that it would be the last time he did so.
Moments later, he was brutally attacked with a sharp weapon, and the assailant vanished into the night, taking jewelry and cash in what appeared to be a classic robbery gone wrong. But something was amiss.
By 1:00 a.m., the Pune police were alerted to what seemed like a standard robbery-homicide. Yet, when they arrived at the crime scene, seasoned officers couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this incident. Their instincts soon proved right.
A Clue Hidden in the Details
The first red flag surfaced during their initial questioning of Amol’s wife. She described the terrifying attack in vivid detail, explaining how two robbers had barged into their home.
But as officers reviewed CCTV footage from the area, they found no trace of two men — only one shadowy figure was caught on camera. The discrepancy was small, but significant enough to raise suspicion.
Then, there was the unsettling testimony of the couple's young daughter. She mentioned to the police that the attacker seemed "familiar." This single word shifted the investigation from a routine robbery case to a potentially premeditated crime involving someone close to the family.
Suspicion Points Inward
As investigators dug deeper, their attention turned to a man named Prasanna Kokare, a 27-year-old acquaintance of Amol’s wife.
Kokare had a history with the family — Amol had assaulted him previously, suspecting that he and his wife shared more than just a casual friendship. The bitter altercation had left a mark, and now it seemed that resentment had festered into something far more sinister.
Officers questioned Amol’s wife again, this time mentioning Kokare’s name. The moment they did, her demeanor shifted noticeably. It was a subtle but telling change, one that gave the police the breakthrough they needed. They had found their prime suspect.
Cracking the Case
Now fully convinced that the robbery was a cover-up, the police launched a manhunt for Kokare. Within hours, they tracked him down near his residence on Sinhagad Road.
Kokare had tried to blend into his daily routine, assuming the police wouldn’t connect him to the crime so quickly. But the officers were already a step ahead.
In the interrogation room, under intense questioning, Kokare’s composure crumbled. He confessed to everything — the staged robbery, the murder, and the bitter motivation behind it.
He revealed how Amol’s constant suspicions and their violent altercation had pushed him and Amol's wife to conspire together. The staged robbery was supposed to be their perfect plan, a distraction to cover up the real crime: murder.
Piecing Together the Motive
As the full picture emerged, the investigation uncovered the fractured dynamics between Amol, his wife, and Kokare. Amol’s jealousy had been stoked by his wife’s friendship with Kokare.
Frequent arguments, growing suspicion, and a final altercation had pushed Kokare and Amol’s wife to their breaking point. Together, they plotted Amol’s murder, believing a staged robbery would throw the police off their trail.
The Final Arrest
The police’s quick thinking, attention to detail, and suspicion of the initial story unraveled the plan in less than 10 hours.
With Kokare’s confession in hand, the police had their case. The Anti-Extortion and Vehicle Theft Squad, along with the Crime Branch, swiftly handed over Kokare to Warje Police for further legal proceedings.
