Pune: In a shocking incident, a 40-year-old sex worker was allegedly strangled to death by an auto rickshaw driver following a dispute over repayment of a personal loan. The crime occurred in the Raikar Mala area of Dhayari on June 4, and the accused later surrendered at the Nanded City Police Station.
The deceased has been identified as Shyamali Kamlesh Sarkar, a resident of Dhayari’s Raikar Mala locality. Police have arrested Nitin Chandrakant Pandit (51), also a resident of Dhayari, in connection with the murder.
According to the police report, Sarkar was engaged in sex work in the Budhwar Peth area. She and Pandit were known to each other, with Pandit regularly ferrying her to and from Budhwar Peth in his rickshaw. Police said the two also had financial dealings, and Pandit had reportedly lent her ₹40,000 to ₹50,000.
A dispute arose when Pandit asked for the money back and Sarkar allegedly avoided repayment. On June 4, around 4 PM, Pandit visited her flat in Raikar Mala where an argument escalated, leading him to allegedly strangle her using a scarf in a fit of rage.
Following the incident, Pandit turned himself in at the Nanded City Police Station later that evening and confessed to the crime. A formal complaint was filed by police constable Nitin Tanpure. Pandit was presented in court on Friday, and the court remanded him to police custody until June 9.
Inspector Gurudatt More, from the Crime Branch of Nanded City Police Station, is leading the investigation.
