Kolhapur: Four men allegedly murdered an 18-year-old youth, Somnath Jadhav, in the early hours of Friday at Dhavalpati village in Satara’s Phaltan tehsil, for chatting with a girl on social media and going to her home late at night, the local police said.A case has been registered at the Phaltan rural police station. Inspector Sandeep Jagtap, of Phaltan rural police station, said, “One accused, Aditya Shinde, has been arrested, and the search for three others continues.”The police said Somnath, a resident of Miryachiwadi in Satara district, had been chatting on social media with the sister of one of the accused. Even according to the complaint filed by the teen’s father, Sandeep Jadhav, Somnath was in touch with a girl on his mobile phone, and the girl’s relatives were not happy about it.“Around 1.15am on Friday, Sandeep received a call from Somnath’s mobile phone. However, the caller’s voice was unfamiliar. Somnath’s father told the caller that the boy was sleeping in the backyard, but the caller asked him to verify if his son was there. When Sandeep checked, he found Somnath was not there. The caller then claimed that Somnath was in Dhavalpati and asked Sandeep Jadhav to come immediately,” said inspector Jagtap.The police said Somnath’s father then went to Dhavalpati, but did not find his son there. “After he called Somnath’s cellphone again, the stranger told him to come near the Miryachiwadi entrance arch. When Sandeep reached the spot, three people got out of a car — the driver, another man from the rear left of the car, and Somnath. When Sandeep asked what had happened, Somnath did not say anything. The two people who got out of the car allegedly said, ‘Your son is chatting with our sister. We have beaten him up. We will not let him live’,” said Jagtap.The police said Sandeep tried to reason with them, but failed. Meanwhile, two more men turned up on a motorcycle, and all four of them kicked, punched and beat Somnath on the face, chest and stomach. Somnath tried to run, but the four chased him and killed him at Dhavalpati.Sandeep called his brother for help. Somnath, who was unconscious, was taken home and then taken in a four-wheeler to a hospital in Phaltan. Doctors provided primary treatment, but his movements had stopped completely. Doctors at the Phaltan sub-district hospital eventually examined him and declared him dead, the police said.“A murder case has been registered against Aditya Shinde and three others (all residents of Dhawalpati). During the investigation, the involvement of yet another accomplice has also emerged, and he has been detained,” he said.
