By Sagaya Fernando | August 28, 2026
Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA: A year-long rivalry between two Pune-based social media content creators, allegedly fuelled by Instagram trolling and retaliatory videos, culminated in a violent attack on a 19-year-old engineering student inside a cafe in Shivajinagar in the early hours of Independence Day, police said.
The Deccan police have arrested 12 adults and detained three juveniles in connection with the alleged attempt to murder Atharva Pramod Jagtap, 19. Those arrested include fellow content creator Madhavi Rajesh Kumbhar, 23, alleged assailant Rahul Sitaram Waghmare, 20, and the owner and manager of the cafe where the attack took place.
According to police, the dispute between Atharva and Madhavi dates back nearly a year and began following a minor vehicular collision in the Kaas Pathar area of Satara district. Atharva, a resident of Ambegaon, and Madhavi, a resident of Kalepadal, are both active content creators with sizeable audiences on Instagram.
Madhavi reportedly has around 2.4 million Instagram followers, while Atharva has nearly 250,000.
Road dispute spills onto Instagram
Police said what initially began as an argument over the road accident gradually developed into a prolonged social media feud.
Both sides allegedly began uploading videos targeting each other and exchanging taunts on Instagram. Investigators said the repeated online trolling intensified the hostility between the two groups over several months.
Sub-Inspector Yogesh More of Deccan police said the continuing social media feud allegedly prompted Madhavi and some of her associates to plan an attack on Atharva.
The rivalry finally took a violent turn in the early hours of August 15.
Ambushed outside Shivajinagar cafe
According to police, Atharva was at Cafe Flying Gypsy on Shirole Road in Shivajinagar when he was confronted by a group at around 3.30 am.
As the situation escalated, Atharva allegedly attempted to escape the attackers by moving inside the cafe for safety.
Police said Rahul Sitaram Waghmare, 20, followed him into the establishment and allegedly attacked him with a sharp weapon. Several others, including juveniles, are accused of joining the assault before the group fled the scene.
A police team rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident and arranged immediate medical treatment for the injured teenager.
Based on Atharva's complaint, the Deccan police registered a case of attempt to murder and other relevant offences and launched an investigation.
CCTV footage leads police to suspects
Investigators examined CCTV footage from the cafe and surrounding areas to reconstruct the sequence of events and identify those allegedly involved in the attack.
Police subsequently arrested Madhavi, who is pursuing a diploma in electronics and telecommunication, along with her associate Snehal Sanjay Sonke, 20, another content creator who is also associated with the real estate sector.
Rahul Waghmare, identified by police as the main assailant, was also arrested. Police said Waghmare has a previous criminal record registered with the Kalewadi police station.
Other accused arrested during the investigation include Shivanand Talwar, 21; Aditya Bhalerao, 22; Priyanshu Bhosale, 22; and Prem alias Pamya Salve, 22.
The investigation subsequently widened beyond those allegedly involved in the physical assault.
Cafe owner, manager arrested over alleged destruction of evidence
On August 19, police arrested Cafe Flying Gypsy owner Hemant Patil, 42, and manager Prem Deepak Patil, 21.
Police alleged that the cafe had been operating beyond the permissible closing hours on the night of the incident.
Investigators further alleged that bloodstains at the crime scene had been cleaned after the attack, leading to accusations that evidence had been destroyed.
Three more suspects — Vaishnavi alias Siya Ravindra Bhaskar, 22; Samiksha Shailesh Shelke, 21; and Vaibhav Madhukar Bhagwat, 21 — were subsequently arrested on August 21 as the investigation progressed.
Police also detained three juveniles allegedly involved in the incident and sent them to an observation home.
The 12 arrested adults have been remanded to magisterial custody.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged conspiracy, the roles played by individual accused and the events leading up to the attack.
Comments
Post a Comment