Ashwini Bidre murder case: Kurundkar guilty of murder by Panvel court

The Panvel Sessions Court in Maharashtra on Saturday delivered its verdict on the Assistant Police Inspector (API) Ashwini Bidre murder case and held Police Inspector Abhay Kurundkar guilty of murder.

The court also convicted co-accused– Mahesh Phalnikar and Kundan Bhandari, under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for causing the disappearance of evidence.

The fourth accused in the case, Raju Patil, was acquitted by the court.

Special public prosecutor, Advocate Pradeep Gharat said, “The prime accused in the case, Abhay Kurundkar, has been found guilty of the murder where as Raju Patil has been acquitted in the case for lack of evidence. Two of the other accused has been found guilty of destruction of evidence.”

The Panvel Sessions Court on April 5, 2025, convicted Abhay Kurundkar for the murder of API Ashwini Bidre-Gore. Co-accused Mahesh Phalnikar and Kundan Bhandari were found guilty of destroying evidence, while Raju Patil was acquitted.

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Ashwini Bidre-Gore, who went missing in April 2016, was allegedly murdered by her colleague and partner, Senior Inspector Abhay Kurundkar, following a prolonged personal dispute. Bidre was in a relationship with Kurundkar, who had reportedly promised to marry her but later reneged.

Earlier investigations had revealed that Kurundkar and his associates killed Ashwini and disposed of her body in Vasai Creek. Though no remains were ever recovered, police built a case using digital evidence, including WhatsApp chats indicating abuse and suspicious messages sent from Ashwini’s number after her disappearance.

Despite several search attempts, Ashwini’s body was never found. However, circumstantial and digital evidence led to the charges. In March 2019, the Alibaug court had rejected Patil’s plea for discharge, citing GPS data and witness statements placing him with Kurundkar during the crucial time frame. At the time of the incident, Kurundkar was serving as the senior police inspector with the Thane Rural Police.

The Panvel court is scheduled to pronounce the sentence for the convicted accused on April 11.