Shweta Ranawade, 22, a resident of Siddharth Nagar area of Aundh, was attacked with a sharp weapon in the parking lot of her residential building on Wednesday. (Representative/ Express file photo by Pavan Khengre)A sub-inspector posted with Pune’s Chatushrungi police has been suspended and two other officers have been transferred pending an inquiry into alleged dereliction of duty in responding to complaints of harassment by a 22-year-old woman who was recently murdered by her harasser, officers said.
Pune City Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta confirmed that suspension orders have been issued against sub-inspector Vaishali Sool, while an inquiry has also been instituted against the three officers. Senior inspector Rajkumar Waghchaware (in-charge of Chatushrungi police station) and sub-inspector Shamal Powar have been transferred.
Shweta Ranawade, 22, a resident of Siddharth Nagar area of Aundh, was attacked with a sharp weapon in the parking lot of her residential building around 2.30 pm on Wednesday, officials said, adding that the suspect Pratik Dhamale, 26, and the victim had had a heated argument prior to the attack.
The police subsequently launched a search for Dhamale who had allegedly been harassing the woman since their wedding was called off recently. On Thursday, Dhamale was found dead in Mulshi taluka in a suspected case of suicide.
A preliminary inquiry into the incident revealed that Ranawade’s family members had submitted a complaint to Chatushrungi police in September regarding the harassment. However, the findings indicate that the officers responsible for taking cognizance of the complaint had failed in their duty, a senior Pune city police officer said.