Absconding former NCP leader, son held in dowry-suicide case of daughter-in-law
Pune (PTI): An ex-NCP leader from Pune and his son, who were on the run after being named in a dowry harassment and abetment to suicide case involving the former’s daughter-in-law, were arrested on Friday, police said.
“Rajendra Hagawane and his son Sushil were taken into custody from the Swargate area while attempting to flee the city,” said Vishal Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) of the Pimpri Chinchwad area.
He said they had formed six teams to track down Rajendra and Sushil. Both will be produced in the court during the day, the official said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), said on Thursday that he had expelled the father-son duo from his party over the issue.
Rajendra Hagawane’s daughter-in-law Vaishnavi (26) allegedly hanged herself on May 16 at her in-laws’ house in the Bavdhan area of Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune district.
Her parents alleged they had given 51 tolas (595 gm) of gold, silver and an SUV to her husband’s family at the time of marriage, but the Hagawane family harassed her yet, demanding she bring Rs 2 crore to purchase land.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against her husband Shashank, mother-in-law Lata Rajendra Hagawane, Rajendra Hagawane, sister-in-law Karishma, and brother-in-law Sushil under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections concerning abetment to suicide and domestic violence, police said.
Police had already arrested Vasihnavi’s the husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law of the victim, while Rajendra and Sushil were on the run.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
