Police Officer Decorated With President’s Medal Found Guilty Of Killing Lover, Had Chopped Body

Nearly a decade after assistant police inspector Ashwini Bidre vanished without a trace, a sessions court has found her colleague guilty of murder.

Back in 2016, Bidre, then 37, had been in a relationship with inspector Abhay Kurundkar. But what began as a personal dispute spiraled into a horrifying act. Prosecutors say he killed her, dismembered the body, stuffed the remains into a trunk and a sack, and dumped them in Vasai creek. Her body was never found.

The court also found the police inspector’s driver, Kundan Bhandari, and a close associate, Mahesh Phalnikar, guilty of helping dispose of the evidence. Phalnikar reportedly collapsed in court as the verdict was read.

Accused Officer Was Awarded President’s Medal For Gallantry

Despite being a suspect in a murder case, Kurundkar was awarded the President’s Medal for Gallantry in 2017 — a move the judge called “surprising” and worthy of investigation. The court openly questioned how such an honor was cleared, hinting at systemic blind spots — or worse, protection.

Special public prosecutor Pradip Gharat argued that Kurundkar even went so far as to forge official patrol records to create an alibi, trying to place himself at work during the time of the murder. But GPS data and Google Maps location history told a different story, placing him right where Bidre’s remains were believed to have been dumped.

The court didn’t mince words — it categorised the case under the “rarest of rare” and pointed to a year-long delay in registering the murder case, reportedly due to political pressure. Judge K G Paldewar said Bidre’s daughter and father, who weren’t present in court, bore the heaviest burden, and compensation for their loss would be considered before sentencing.

Kurundkar showed no remorse. Bidre’s estranged husband said his expression didn’t flinch as the court declared him guilty.