Feud, not dacoity, says the police

PUNE, May 21: The preliminary investigations into the recent dacoity near Daund have revealed that the incident, which claimed the lives of three persons of a family, was a fallout of an enmity involving the victims and some nomads camping in their neighbourhood.

Jaya Baban Dhumal (30) and her grandmother Savitribai (70), who were seriously injured in the incident, have recorded their statements stating that they were attacked by the nomads over a long-standing rivalry, said Superintendent of Police Ashok Dhivre.

The two women, undergoing treatment at the Sassoon hospital, have also named the nomads who allegedly barged into their house at Dhumalvasti in Gopalwadi village along the Daund-Patas Road around 1 am on May 19 and attacked the occupants with sticks and iron rods. A massive hunt has been launched to track down the culprits, Dhivre added.

The nomads have fled from the Gopalwadi village ever since the incident took place. Policemen from all over Pune district and the neighbouring districts have been put on alert.