PUNE: A 19-year-old fashion design student from Kothrud and her friend were injured after her former boyfriend chased and attacked them with a billhook in public on Wamanrao Shedge Road, off Tilak Road, in Sadashiv Peth around 10am on Tuesday.
Three MPSC aspirants, stunned by the sight of the billhook-wielding assailant chasing the girl as she cried for help, swiftly chased and apprehended him. They later handed him over to a Vishrambaug police team.
“The girl suffered injuries on her head and arm. Her friend, Shekhar Sagalgile (22), injured his thumb in the assault,” said inspector Dada Gaikwad of the Vishrambaug police.
They were taken to a nearby hospital and discharged after preliminary treatment.
“We have arrested the assailant, Shantanu Laxman Jadhav (21), a resident of Dongargaon in Mulshi taluka, on the charge of attempted murder and have recorded the statement of the injured girl. The girl said she was in a relationship with Jadhav during their junior college studies, but she stopped talking to him later due to some differences. Jadhav did not take it kindly and assaulted her,” Gaikwad said.
Girl’s rescuers find Perugate police chowkey locked
The girl is pursuing a fashion design course at an institute on Tilak Road. Sagalgile is a student of diploma in architecture in the same institute. Gaikwad said “The girl got down from a PMPML bus at the Grahak Peth bus stop on Tilak Road. Jadhav was waiting there. He immediately approached her and started an argument over their breakup. The girl then called Sagalgile, who reached the spot on a scooter.”
Sagalgile told TOI, “We became friends recently. On Tuesday morning, she called and told me that her old friend was troubling her. I reached Tilak Road and we headed towards Perugate. Jadhav followed us on foot and intercepted our scooter. He pulled out a billhook from his bag and started assaulting us. He attacked me when I tried to intervene and later chased my friend to assault her.”
At this point, three MPSC aspirants — Yashpal Javalge (23), Harshal Patil (23) and Satish Nehul (24) — having tea at an outlet near Bharat Natya Mandir spotted the girl being chased by the assailant. Patil said, “The man was carrying a koyata (billhook).
Initially, we thought there might be a fight between two criminal gangs, but we soon realised that the assailant was chasing the girl. We ran after him as he almost reached the girl and assaulted her even as she kept running. She fell on the road, but before the man could deal any further blows, Javalge intervened and grabbed the billhook.
I grabbed his arm and took the billhook out of his hand.” Nehul said, “By the time we overpowered him, other people had gathered at the spot. They started throwing flowerpots, bricks and small stones at the assailant. Some stones and bricks hit us, but we protected the assailant and called the police, who took almost 30minutes to reach the spot.” The three rescuers, who apprehended Jadhav, found the Perugate police chowkey (under the Vishrambaug police) locked when they took him there. “For the past few months, the chowkey has remained locked,” said a resident of the area.
Sandeep Javalekar of Sadashiv Peth told TOI, “Earlier, the police personnel at the chowkey would address our small issues. But now we have to visit the police station and wait for senior police officers just to narrate our small problems. Had the police presence in the area been like earlier, the Tuesday morning’s incident could have been averted.”
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone I) Sandeep Singh Gill said, “We will soon start the police chowkey. I am personally looking into the issue.”
Three MPSC aspirants, stunned by the sight of the billhook-wielding assailant chasing the girl as she cried for help, swiftly chased and apprehended him. They later handed him over to a Vishrambaug police team.
“The girl suffered injuries on her head and arm. Her friend, Shekhar Sagalgile (22), injured his thumb in the assault,” said inspector Dada Gaikwad of the Vishrambaug police.
They were taken to a nearby hospital and discharged after preliminary treatment.
“We have arrested the assailant, Shantanu Laxman Jadhav (21), a resident of Dongargaon in Mulshi taluka, on the charge of attempted murder and have recorded the statement of the injured girl. The girl said she was in a relationship with Jadhav during their junior college studies, but she stopped talking to him later due to some differences. Jadhav did not take it kindly and assaulted her,” Gaikwad said.
Girl’s rescuers find Perugate police chowkey locked
The girl is pursuing a fashion design course at an institute on Tilak Road. Sagalgile is a student of diploma in architecture in the same institute. Gaikwad said “The girl got down from a PMPML bus at the Grahak Peth bus stop on Tilak Road. Jadhav was waiting there. He immediately approached her and started an argument over their breakup. The girl then called Sagalgile, who reached the spot on a scooter.”
Sagalgile told TOI, “We became friends recently. On Tuesday morning, she called and told me that her old friend was troubling her. I reached Tilak Road and we headed towards Perugate. Jadhav followed us on foot and intercepted our scooter. He pulled out a billhook from his bag and started assaulting us. He attacked me when I tried to intervene and later chased my friend to assault her.”
At this point, three MPSC aspirants — Yashpal Javalge (23), Harshal Patil (23) and Satish Nehul (24) — having tea at an outlet near Bharat Natya Mandir spotted the girl being chased by the assailant. Patil said, “The man was carrying a koyata (billhook).
Initially, we thought there might be a fight between two criminal gangs, but we soon realised that the assailant was chasing the girl. We ran after him as he almost reached the girl and assaulted her even as she kept running. She fell on the road, but before the man could deal any further blows, Javalge intervened and grabbed the billhook.
I grabbed his arm and took the billhook out of his hand.” Nehul said, “By the time we overpowered him, other people had gathered at the spot. They started throwing flowerpots, bricks and small stones at the assailant. Some stones and bricks hit us, but we protected the assailant and called the police, who took almost 30minutes to reach the spot.” The three rescuers, who apprehended Jadhav, found the Perugate police chowkey (under the Vishrambaug police) locked when they took him there. “For the past few months, the chowkey has remained locked,” said a resident of the area.
Sandeep Javalekar of Sadashiv Peth told TOI, “Earlier, the police personnel at the chowkey would address our small issues. But now we have to visit the police station and wait for senior police officers just to narrate our small problems. Had the police presence in the area been like earlier, the Tuesday morning’s incident could have been averted.”
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone I) Sandeep Singh Gill said, “We will soon start the police chowkey. I am personally looking into the issue.”
