The bus was taken to a police station.
An 18-year-old youth was brutally hacked to death, allegedly by his maternal cousin, inside a state transport (ST) bus in Khed taluka of Pune district on Tuesday morning. The suspect was arrested late on Tuesday. He has been booked in the past for molesting the victim’s sister and posting objectionable social media posts about her, said police.
“In the morning, the suspect boarded the bus for Khed. At the next stop, the victim and his sister boarded the bus. After a while, the suspect brutally attacked the victim with a sharp sickle…,” said a police official.
As pandemonium broke out on the bus, the driver halted the vehicle, and the suspect used the opportunity to flee, said police. The bus was later taken to the police station.
The victim, who had sustained injuries on his head and neck, was bleeding profusely. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.
“Based on primary information, the suspect has been identified. He is the maternal cousin of the victim. Our investigation suggests that the suspect wanted to get married to the victim’s sister,” said Inspector Pradeep Jadhav, in-charge of Khed police station
“In November last year, the victim’s sister had filed a complaint of molestation and threat against the suspect. He was arrested but later released on bail. A week ago, one more FIR was filed against the suspect for allegedly posting objectionable posts on social media about the girl…,” added the police inspector.
The victim’s family members, meanwhile, blamed police for not arresting the suspect over the objectionable social media posts. Had he been arrested earlier, the murder would never have taken place, they said.
In protest, they refused to accept the victim’s body from the authorities till the suspect was arrested. Police had to deploy extra personnel in the area to prevent any untoward incidents.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Tejaswi Satpute, intervened in the matter and assured the victim’s family members that an inquiry will be conducted to find out whether there were any lapses on the part of police personnel.