Pune police have arrested Rajendra Hagawane, an expelled leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and his son Sushil, in connection with the suicide of 26-year-old Vaishnavi Hagawane, which took place last week amid allegations of dowry harassment.
The father-son duo was apprehended in the Swargate area of Pune as they attempted to flee, according to Vishal Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 2, Pimpri-Chinchwad. Six police teams were deployed to track them down. The accused are scheduled to be produced before the court.
Vaishnavi, Rajendra’s daughter-in-law, was found dead by suicide on May 16 at her in-laws’ residence in Bavdhan, Pimpri-Chinchwad. Her family alleges persistent dowry demands and mental harassment by the Hagawane family. They claimed that at the time of the wedding, they had already provided 51 tolas of gold and silver, along with a sports utility vehicle, but were later coerced to pay an additional Rs 2 crore for land.
The police have registered cases against five members of the Hagawane family—including Vaishnavi’s husband Shashank, mother-in-law Lata, sister-in-law Karishma, and brother-in-law Sushil—under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to domestic violence and abetment to suicide. Prior to these recent arrests, three accused, including Vaishnavi’s husband, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law, had already been taken into custody.
The arrests follow the announcement by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who confirmed the expulsion of Rajendra and Sushil Hagawane from the NCP. The investigation into the tragic incident continues.
