Bail denied, Vasai couple arrested for stripping and thrashing relative

The Vasai couple who allegedly stripped and brutally assaulted their 43-year-old Kandivli-based relative — and filmed the attack on April 5, which later went viral among family members — have finally been arrested by the Waliv police after being on the run for over a month. The victim’s husband had filed the FIR on April 9.
The accused had gone into hiding immediately after the crime. In a bid to avoid arrest, they first approached the sessions court for anticipatory bail and, after rejection, moved the Bombay High Court. However, both pleas were dismissed.

According to police sources, the high court observed the seriousness of the charges and photographs submitted by the prosecution, which showed the accused woman assaulting the complainant. The court said that, considering the conduct of the applicant, granting anticipatory bail could result in tampering with evidence or intimidation of the victim and witnesses. It concluded that the bail application had no merit and rejected it outright.

The victim’s husband called the assault “inhuman,” stating, “This is not the act of a human being, but a beast. And even after absconding, they had the audacity to send messages through relatives, pressuring us to withdraw the case.”

A close family member expressed anguish over the delay in the arrest. “The police claimed they had no clue about their whereabouts, yet the accused were sending messages via family members asking for a compromise,” the relative said.

Lawyer’s statement

Advocate Abhijit Mandre, representing the victim, called the accused couple’s actions “heinous and against humanity.” 

He said, “Disrobing a woman, recording the violence, and circulating the video is a violation of every norm of a civilised society. They deserve the strictest punishment under the law.”

PoliceSpeak

Senior Inspector Dilip Ghuge of Waliv Police Station confirmed the arrest to mid-day and said the accused will be produced in court today (Tuesday).
When asked where the couple had been hiding and where they were arrested, Ghuge declined to comment, stating, “We are conducting further investigation.”

April 5
Day the incident occurred

This article first appeared on Mid Day