Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
BPO worker’s boyfriend held; cops see missing links
Await recovery of the victim to piece together the sequence of events leading to the alleged assault in friend’s flat
MUMBAI: On Thursday, Dahisar police arrested the 25-year-old man, who had allegedly tried to kill his 24-year-old girlfriend, in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The accused, (arrested under Section 307 -attempt to murder -- of IPC) identified as Amey Darekar, and remanded to police custody for five days by a local court.
The woman, Priyangi Singh, a BMM graduate and call centre employee, was admitted to Balaji Hospital in Malad on Monday. She was subsequently shifted to Kokilaben Ambani Hospital on Thursday, where she underwent a spinal surgery.
On Wednesday, the Dahisar police had detained Amey after the woman’s father, Munish Singh, approached the Dindoshi police station claiming that his daughter had been assaulted by him and that he had tried to kill her, after he found her lying unconscious in their house on Sunday morning.
According to Ram Pote, investigating officer of the case, in his statement, Amey said that he had a fight with Priyangi, on the terrace of his friend’s apartment in Dahisar on Saturday night, after which she fell into an 18-feet deep tank. He, however, had no recollection of how she landed in the tank – if she fell on her own or if he had pushed her in a fit of rage – as they were drunk at the time.
According to Amey, a resident of Shimpoli, Borivali, this is how the day (prior to the event) unfolded, as narrated to the cops. Last Saturday Priyangi left her house for work at around 4.30 pm. At 6:30 pm, she met Amey at a mall in Kandiavli East – she was upset, having lost her job that day.
The two purchased alcohol and went to their friend, Devesh Laad’s house in La-Bellezza, near Dahisar checkpost, around 9.30 pm (CCTV footage of the building shows the two entering the building at the time). Thereafter, the three went to the terrace on the 15th floor, and sat there drinking. At 12.30 am they travelled to Borivali to buy more alcohol. At 2.30 am Devesh called it a night, following which Amey and Priyangi broke into a quarrel. Amey then recalled that he found Priyangi in the water tank, with scant recollection of how she got there.
He told the cops that he had rushed to Devesh, who did not respond. Cut to 6:22 am on Sunday: the CCTV footage showed Amey and the watchman of the building walking out, supporting Priyangi, who had collapsed in the lift. The two put her in a cab booked by Amey. They drove to the latter’s place in Borivali.
“On reaching the apartment, Amey’s mother Radhika booked another cab and dropped Priyangi to her house in Goregaon East at around 8 am,” said the police officer. When her father, Munish Singh, returned from his morning walk, he found her lying unconscious on a bed. He called the resident domestic help, who confirmed that Priyangi was dropped off to the house by Amey and his mother. On close observation, Singh found that she was bleeding profusely from the leg (visible even through her denim trousers) and her clothes were drenched. “She did not respond to us and we immediately rushed her to the hospital,” said Singh. The father placed the blame on Amey, saying, he had hit her in the past as well. “They have known each other for a while, but we only realised recently that the two were dating. On night outs she would say she was with her work friends,” he said, unaware that she had lost her job. On her present health condition, the father said, while “she is responding well to treatment, it will take her at least two years to recover from the injury”.
Cops have sent Priyangi’s clothes for forensic tests and called Devesh, the watchman of La-Bellezza and the two cab drivers to record their statements. “We have also called the society members to find out why the terrace was open. We will record Priyangi’s statement after she recovers. We need to probe the fight and sequence of events that unfolded on the terrace, and if Amey had tried to kill her,” said Pote. On Thursday, Amey’s mother Radhika’s statement was recorded.