Cop shoots himself at MIDC

In yesterday’s case the deceased, Rajkumar Tukaram Dhere (40), pumped a bullet in his head and collapsed in his room at 6 pm at the police quarters in MIDC, Andheri east. He was rushed to the Holy Spirit Hospital at Mahakali Caves, but was declared dead before he reached the hospital.

The senior police inspector at MIDC police station, A Gaikwad told Express Newsline that the incident happened when Dhere was alone in his house, with his wife and two sons having gone out for some work. On their return home, they were shocked to find Gaikwad lying in a pool of blood.

Deputy police commissioner, Balasaheb Bhalekar said that Dhere was an alcoholic and was suffering from heavy depression.

Bhalekar denied that the suicide might have been prompted by work pressure. He said that Dhere was an automobile engineer, a boxer and was doing his job perfectly well. Police sources, however, maintain that job frustration might have been one of the reasons, for he had submitted his resignation to Bhalekar.

The car section of MTD at Shephard Road, Byculla, wore an ugly look today as some of Dhere’s colleagues were absent and others gone to Jogeshwari to attend Dhere’s funeral. "I was shocked to see his body. The person who was working with me yesterday, had such a terrible death," lamented a policeconstable. His colleagues said that Dhere was a man of few words who didn’t share his problems with colleagues, so it is difficult to put a finger on the reason of his depression, if any.

Talking about the job-related stress which might have caused the unfortunate incident, Datta Badwal, a constable said, "Dhere was a qualified person and mature enough to face any difficulty. His job was to supervise the work of the mechanics."