Jilted by SI, constable shoots self

A woman constable serving at Mehsana police headquarters allegedly committed suicide on Thursday night after her lover, a sub-inspector at Kadi police station, refused to marry her.

Shirin Karimbhai (25) allegedly shot herself in the head, using the service revolver of sub-inspector Rakesh Pathak, said Mehsana Superintendent of Police H.K. Patel. The incident took place at Pathak’s Chatral Road residence. While the police have registered a case of accidental death, Shirin’s parents have alleged that their daughter was murdered by the sub-inspector, who lured her with false promises of marriage. Her father, Karim Multani, said Shirin was left-handed, while the wound was on the right side of her head.

‘‘My daughter was a divorcee. Rakesh took advantage of her insecurity and, being a senior officer, used to visit her home often,’’ said Shirin’s mother Madina. They would lodge a complaint against Pathak, she said.

Police have arrested Pathak under the Prohibition Act, as he was found in an inebriated state with a bottle of liqour on Friday. Pathak is currently in judicial custody.