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'{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}} The '''Joshi-Abhyankar serial murders''' were ten murders committed by Rajendra Jakkal, Dilip Sutar, Shantaram Kanhoji Jagtap and Munawar Harun Shah of [[Pune]], [[India]] between January 1976 and March 1977. All the murderers were [[commercial art]] students at the Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya, [[Roads in Pune#Tilak Road|Tilak Road]], and were hanged for their crimes on 27 November 1983.<ref name="MidDayEvil98">{{cite news|url=http://www.rahulchandawarkar.com/news/general/general03float.htm|title=The Evil and the Dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715150717/http://www.rahulchandawarkar.com/news/general/general03float.htm|archivedate=15 July 2011|first=Rahul|last=Chandawarkar|work=Mid-Day|date=6 September 1998}}</ref> The group had acquired a poor reputation on their college campus for robbery and drinking.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune-times/How-to-catch-a-serial-killer/articleshow/1283401768.cms | title=How to catch a serial killer | date=9 November 2001 | first=Rahul | last=Chandawarkar | newspaper=The Times of India | accessdate=28 November 2018 }}</ref> ==Timeline== ===16 January 1976 – Prakash Hegde=== Prakash was a classmate of killers at Abhinav. His father, Sundar Hegde, ran a small restaurant (Vishwa) behind Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya. The group hatched a plot to [[kidnap]] Prakash for [[ransom]]. On 15 January 1976, the foursome and classmate Suhas Chandak picked up Prakash on a false pretence and took him to Jakkal's tin shed on [[Roads in Pune#Karve Road|Karve Road]]. They forced him to write a note to his father saying that he was leaving home. On the night of 16 January 1976, they gagged him, took him to Peshwe Park, which is just meters from Hotel Vishwa. There they strangled him with a nylon rope, placed his body in an iron barrel, inserted some stones and dumped the barrel into the Park lake. The next day, they sent a ransom note to his father. ===August 1976 – Kolhapur=== The gang moved to the city of [[Kolhapur]] in August 1976, but were unsuccessful when they targeted the house of a local businessman.<ref name="MidDayEvil98" /> ===31 October 1976 – Joshi=== Achyut Joshi, from Vijaynagar colony, was attacked on the night of 31 October. The group forced their way into his house, brandishing knives. Joshi and his wife Usha were the only ones at home. After tying the couple's hands and legs, the four strangled Joshi with nylon rope and suffocated his wife. When the Joshis' teenage son Anand arrived home, they stripped him naked and strangled him with nylon rope. The gang then stole several items, including a [[mangalsutra]], a watch and several thousand [[rupees]]. ===22 November 1976 – Bafana=== Yashomati Bafana's [[bungalow]] on Shankarseth Road was attacked on the evening of 22 November. However, Bafana and her two servants fought back and the assailants escaped by climbing a barbed-wire fence around the perimeter. ===1 December 1976 – Abhyankar=== On 1 December 1976 at around 8 pm, the group attacked the Smriti bungalow on Bhandarkar Road belonging to the Abhyankars. There were five people in the house: noted [[Sanskrit]] scholar Kashinath Shastri Abhyankar (age 88); his wife Indirabai (age 76); their maid Sakubai Wagh (age 60), granddaughter Jui (age 20) and grandson Dhananjay (age 19). The four gained entrance by ringing the doorbell. When Dhananjay opened the door they stuffed his mouth with a ball of cloth, tied his hands and told him to direct them inside the house. The men killed each person by stuffing their mouths with a ball of cloth, tying their hands and legs and then strangling them with a [[nylon]] rope. The granddaughter, Jui, was stripped naked<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/crime/story/19770131-dashmi-nights-terror-poona-city-in-grip-of-panic-after-gruesome-murders-of-two-families-823566-2014-07-22|title=Dashmi nights terror: Poona city in grip of panic after gruesome murders of two families|first=Vaiju|last=Mahindroo|date=31 January 1977|magazine=India Today|access-date=2020-01-14}}</ref> and forced to direct them to the valuables in the house before she was killed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loksatta.com/sampadkiya-news/final-justice-201505/|title=अंतिम न्याय|date=2013-09-20|website=Loksatta|language=mr-IN|access-date=2020-01-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Munawar Harun Shah v. (Original A-4) {{!}} Supreme Court Of India|url=https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/5609ac0ee4b014971140de88|access-date=2020-09-11|website=www.casemine.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Hiralal M. Shah v. The Central Board Of Film Certification, Bombay And Others|url=https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/5608f9ece4b0149711146263|access-date=2020-09-11|website=www.casemine.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-01-26|title=पुण्यावर झालेले आघात; आजही ताज्या आहेत त्या जखमा, ज्याने शहराचा चेहरामोहराच बदलला {{!}} 📰 LatestLY मराठी|url=https://marathi.latestly.com/maharashtra/major-shocks-like-panshet-dam-german-bakery-blast-pune-has-got-the-wounds-that-are-still-fresh-today-19102.html|access-date=2020-09-11|website=LatestLY मराठी|language=mr-IN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Joshi-Abhyankar Serial Murder case|url=https://www.bolbhidu.com/joshi-abhyankar-serial-murder-case-in-pune/}}</ref> ===23 March 1977 – Anil Gokhale=== Anil Gokhale was the younger brother of a college friend, Jayant Gokhale. On the evening of 23 March 1977, Anil was supposed to meet his brother at the Alka Talkies and was offered a ride home by Jakkal on his [[motorcycle]]. He was taken to Jakkal's shed, and strangled with a nylon rope. His body was tied to an iron ladder, weighed down with boulders and dumped into the [[Mula-Mutha]] river near Bund Garden. ==Investigation== [[Assistant Commissioner of Police]] Madhusudan Hulyalkar led the investigation. On the evening of 24 March 1977, the body of Anil Gokhale surfaced near [[Yerwada]]. The police team, led by [[Police Inspector]] Manikrao Damame, noticed that the [[nylon]] ropes used to tie the body to the ladder were fastened in a manner identical to earlier murders. The police had initially thought the murders were a result of botched robberies, but were soon faced with the fact that they were following a group of serial killers. Cases like these were rare at that time in India, and the police began an intensive investigation to prevent additional deaths. When questioned by police, the four men contradicted each other about their movements in the city over the previous week. Satish Gore (a colleague) cracked under questioning, leaking information about Prakash Hegde's murder and the location of his body. The signatures of strangulation with nylon rope and a specific knot also helped police zero in on the culprits. Further confessions were made by another classmate, Suhas Chandak, who was a witness to the Hegde killing. The killers were apprehended on 30 March 1977.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/education/body-of-evidence/cid/1329356|title=Body of evidence|website=Telegraph India|first=Reena|last=Martins|date=11 January 2006|access-date=2020-01-14}}</ref> ===Court case=== Shamrao G. Samant, a senior criminal lawyer who had conducted many successful prosecutions for the state government, was appointed special public prosecutor for the trial. The case began on 15 May 1978 in [[Pune district]], lasting more than four months. On 28 September 1978, they were sentenced to death by Pune Sessions Court Judge Waman Narayan Bapat. Their sentences were confirmed by the [[Bombay]] High Court on 6 April 1979, and their special leave petitions against their convictions and sentences were dismissed by the Supreme Court on 17 November 1980. ===Appeal=== After both the [[High Court]] and [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]]s turned down their appeals, the accused approached the [[President of India]] for a [[pardon]]. The pardon was not granted, and the four were hanged at [[Yerwada Central Jail]] on 27 November 1983. ==Popular culture== {{in popular culture|section|date=September 2020}} The serial murders have had a lasting impact on popular culture in India, spanning several decades. Some of the more notable pieces to stem from these events are: * ''Yes, I Am Guilty'' (1983) - A [[Marathi]] book written by Munawar Shah, one of the murderers. He was the youngest of the four members to commit the violent crimes, and wrote this autobiography while imprisoned and awaiting execution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bookksaidtome.blogspot.com/2013/03/yes-i-am-guilty-yes-i-am-guilty-is-book.html|date=22 March 2013|access-date=11 November 2020}}</ref> * ''[[Maaficha Sakshidar]]'' (1986) - A [[Marathi]] film starring [[Nana Patekar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/1999/apr/29mohan.htm|title=Mohan Gokhale is dead|website=Rediff|date=29 April 1999|access-date=21 June 2019}}</ref> The film was based on the execution of the four students who were convicted of ten murders. Patekar played Rajendra Jakkal, in one of his earliest film roles. * ''[[Paanch]]'' (2003) - A film directed by [[Anurag Kashyap (director)|Anurag Kashyap]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356982/ Paanch]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/reality-check/cid/569930|title=Reality Check|website=Telegraph India|date=18 June 2008|access-date=2020-01-14}}</ref> Kashyap's film is "loosely" based on the serial murders, and was never given a theatrical or home-video release. The [[Central Board of Film Certification]] objected to the film's violence, its depiction of drug abuse, and profanity. However, the film was later screened at several film festivals. * ''November 27'' (2020) - A play by actor-writer [[Naren Weiss]]. The play was later published in ''Deepak and Raj: Two Indian Plays'', which went on to reach #1 on [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]'s playwriting list for 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/new-releases/digital-text/154712011/ref=zg_b_hnr_154712011_1|title=Amazon Hot New Releases|date=27 June 2020|accessdate=11 November 2020}}</ref> In addition to these books and films, the Joshi-Abhyankar serial murders have also been featured in episodes of true crime TV series such as [[Savdhaan India]] (2012) and ''[[Crime Patrol (TV series)|Crime Patrol]]'' (2015). ==See also== *[[Auto Shankar]] *[[Charles Shobraj]] *[[Noida serial murders]] *[[Raman Raghav]] *[[Stoneman]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== * Ramakant Kulkarni, ''Footprints on the Sands of Crime''. MacMillan India (2004), {{ISBN|978-1-4039-2361-5}} [[Category:1977 crimes in India]] [[Category:Crime in Maharashtra]] [[Category:Executed serial killers]] [[Category:History of Pune]] [[Category:Indian serial killers]] [[Category:Male serial killers]] [[Category:Murder in India]] [[Category:1970s murders in India]] [[Category:1977 murders in Asia]] [[Category:Family murders]]'