Vaishnavi Hagawane dowry death case: Man accused of cruelty to deceased’s son detained at Nepal border

As per a press release issued by police, the accused fled from Pune and went to Raigad district in Maharashtra. He then went to Delhi and from there proceeded to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. He then went to Kathmandu via Bhairahawa town in Nepal. A technical probe revealed he was returning from Bhairahawa to Sunauli in Maharajganj district of UP, located on the Nepal border, where the police nabbed him.

The Pune city police also started the procedure of cancelling gun licences of Nilesh Chavan, Vaishnavi’s husband Shashank Hagawane, and brother-in-law Sushil.

On Thursday, another offence had been lodged against Shashank and Lata Hagawane at the Mhalunge MIDC Police Station in Pimpri Chinchwad for allegedly cheating a farmer, and threatening him at gunpoint in 2022. Two separate FIRs were also lodged Thursday against Shashank and Sushil Hagawane at the Warje and Kothrud police stations in Pune city for “fraudulent representation” of their address by “deceptive means” for taking gun licences.

According to police, Vaishnavi allegedly died by suicide at her in-laws’ house in Bhukum in Mulshi taluka of Pune district on May 16. Her father, Anil Sahebrao Kaspate, 51, a resident of Wakad, lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against her husband and in-laws at the Bavdhan Police Station of Pimpri Chinchwad police the next day.

The police arrested Vaishnavi’s husband, Shashank Hagawane, 27, father-in-law and expelled Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rajendra Hagawane, 57, mother-in-law Lata, 54, sister-in-law Karishma, 31, and brother-in-law Sushil, 27, all residents of Bhukum in Mulshi, in this case.
On May 22, an FIR was lodged against Chavan at the Warje Police Station in Pune city for allegedly threatening Vaishnavi’s father and family members when they went to their residence to take custody of her son on May 20.

The police said that Vaishnavi’s 10-month-old son was with Chavan. The Kaspate family had alleged that when they went to take the baby from his house in Karve Nagar, he allegedly threatened them at gunpoint. He was booked in this case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Indian Arms Act.

On May 24, the police booked Nilesh Chavan of Karve Nagar for allegedly subjecting Vaishnavi’s son to cruelty under sections 75 (cruelty to children), and 87 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The police said Chavan is known to be a friend of the Hagawane family.

The baby was handed over to the Kaspate family on May 22. But Chavan escaped from Pune. While he was on the run, the police conducted a search at his house, and seized his laptop and other items for investigation.

The police said an FIR was also lodged against Nilesh Chavan in 2022 following a complaint filed by his wife.