Ashwini Bidre murder case: Nine years later, API’s killer gets life term

The Panvel Sessions Court on Monday sentenced former Police Inspector Abhay Tukaram Kurundkar to life imprisonment in the murder of Assistant Police Inspector Ashwini Bidre bringing closure to a case that shocked Maharashtrarsquos law enforcement circles Bidre who went missing under mysterious circumstances in 2016 was later confirmed to have been murderedThe court held that Kurundkar with whom Bidre had been in a personal relationship killed her and disposed of her body with the help of his lsquoassociatesrsquo who are coaccused in the case The motive as revealed during the investigation was rooted in betrayalmdashKurundkar had allegedly promised to marry Bidre but failed to honour his commitment which led to her pressurising himAssistant Police Inspector Ashwini Bidre who was murdered by Abhay Tukaram Kurundkar right Abhay Tukaram Kurundkar the prime accused left in police custody PicBy special ArrangementKurundkarrsquos driver Kundan Bhandari and a close friend Mahesh Phalnikar were sentenced to seven yearsrsquo rigorous imprisonment each under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code for their roles in destroying evidence The court also imposed fines of Rs 25000 on each of them A fourth accused Raju Patil was acquitted due to lack of evidenceJudge K G Paldewar referred to the case as the lsquorarestoftherare casersquo given its ldquocruel and inhumanrdquo nature linked to the accused It noted that the murder was not a spontaneous crime but a premeditated one He acknowledged that Bidrersquos family her father and daughter were the lsquotrue victimsrsquo in this crime as they lost their loved one due to the brutal actions of a colleagueBidrersquos body was never recovered The court said this fact made the offence ldquomore seriousrdquo as the deliberate disposal of the body was aimed at erasing any trace of the crime The judgment also noted that the accused had abused their positions as police officers which further intensified the gravity of their actions ldquoThe accused being in a responsible post as a police officer instead of protecting a lady police officer sichellip committed a heinous crimerdquo the court observedThe verdict came after a prolonged sevenyear trial that saw delays numerous witness testimonies and forensic analysis The prosecutionrsquos case hinged on circumstantial evidence including call detail records and the testimony of those close to Bidre and KurundkarThe court criticised the police for their ldquopassive behaviourrdquo in connection with the case This included delays in registering the murder case and hampering the investigation in its preliminary stages which were crucial to collect important evidence The court demanded disciplinary action against police officers who were part of the investigating teamDubious distinctionGiven that the primary accused in the case was a police officer the court raised serious concerns about the integrity of the police department Despite being under suspension in connection with the murder case Kurundkar was awarded the Presidentrsquos Medal for Meritorious Service in 2017 ldquoThe award was given to him on Republic Day and he was arrested on December 7 the same year while serving as an inspector with the Thane Rural Policerdquo said an official involved with the murder case Judge Paldewar recommended that the authorities concerned conduct an inquiry into the awarding of the medal and examine the officers who approved his nomination ldquoThe accused was already suspended in a serious criminal casemdashthe murder of a colleague who was also a police officermdashyet he was conferred such a prestigious honourrdquo the court observedCase backgroundOn April 11 2016 Bidre was last seen leaving her office in Thane Three days later her brotherinlaw received a WhatsApp message from her number claiming she had travelled to North India for mental health treatment Investigators however found discrepancies in the messagersquos language raising suspicions about Kurundkar with whom Bidre was in a relationshipPolice investigations revealed that Kurundkar had promised to marry Bidre but their relationship was strained by frequent arguments and alleged abuse In one message Bidre accused him of causing her personal loss Further probe suggested that frustrated by her demands Kurundkar allegedly murdered Bidre and sought help from his associates to dispose of her body Phalnikar initially confessed they dismembered her body placed the remains in gunny bags with iron weights and dumped them in Vasai Creekmdashthough he later retracted his statementIn March 2019 Patil sought discharge from the case at the Alibaug court but his plea was rejected based on GPS data and witness statements placing him with Kurundkar at the time of the crime Despite search operations worth over R20 lakh police failed to recover any remains The charge sheet was based largely on circumstantial technical digital and witness 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