Vaishnavi Hagawane Tortured Brutally Hours Before Death: The Link To Karnataka Ex-Minister's Son

News18

5 days ago

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Vaishnavi Hagawane Pune Dowry Death: Of the 30 bruises, 15 were inflicted 24 hours before her death. The possibility of an assault with a rod hasn't been ruled out
The post-mortem report of Pune's Vaishnavi Hagawane shows she was brutally beaten and tortured by her in-laws hours before her death, termed suicide by the family.
Meanwhile, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police on Monday arrested five men, including Pritam Patil, the son of a former Karnataka minister, for allegedly sheltering her father-in-law and expelled Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rajendra Hagawane and his son and her brother-in-law Sushil.
CHILLING DETAILS
According to News18 Lokmat, the report stated there were a total of 30 bruises on Vaishnavi's body. Experts said that the possibility of her being assaulted with a rod cannot be ruled out. Of the 30 bruises, 15 were inflicted 24 hours before her death.
HOW DID VAISHNAVI DIE?
Vaishnavi was found dead at her in-laws' house in Bhukum area on May 16. While the Hagawanes from Pune claimed Vaishnavi died by suicide, her parents, the Kaspates, an influential family in the state, and the other daughter-in-law of the family alleged repeated physical assault and torture for dowry.
Vaishnavi's father Anil Kaspate then lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against Shashank and her in-laws at the Bavdhan police station. No suicide note was found, police said.
In the FIR, Kaspate alleged that at the time of the wedding, they had given 51 tolas of gold, silver, and a Fortuner SUV to her in-laws. 'Their demands started right from the time of engagement… We gave gold and several silver utensils," Kaspate alleged. 'We wanted to give some other vehicle… However, they insisted that they want only Fortuner, and we gave it to them," he said.
Tired of the torture, Vaishnavi had allegedly attempted to die by suicide even after a few months of the marriage.
The FIR further alleged that Vaishnavi's in-laws had been abusing her, mentally and physically, asking her to bring Rs 2 crore more to purchase a property. 'Vaishnavi told me about this… We conveyed our inability to pay the amount. And after this, the mental and physical torture from her in-laws increased," he said.
Vaishnavi's husband Shashank, mother-in-law Lata, and sister-in-law Karishma were arrested on charges of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide after the FIR was filed. Karishma's friend Nilesh Chavan, too, was arrested for kidnapping Vaishnavi's child.
THE FIVE ARRESTS
Pritam Patil, 47, the minister's son
Mohan alias Bandu Uttam Bhegade, 60, a resident of Vadgaon Maval
Bandu Laxman Fatak, 55, a resident of Lonavala
Amol Vijay Jadhav, 35, resident of Pusegaon in the Khatav area of Satara
Rahul Dasharath Jadhav, 45, resident of Pusegaon in the Khatav area of Satara.
WHO IS PRITAM PATIL?
Pritam Patil is the son of Veerkumar Patil.
Veerkumar, a senior Congress leader and former Karnataka energy minister, served as an MLA for 28 years.
HAGAWANE, SUSHIL ON THE RUN
After Vaishnavi's death, Hagawane and Sushil were on the run for nearly a week.
They sought refuge in multiple locations including Vadgaon Maval, Lonavala, Satara, and areas near the Maharashtra-Karnataka border.
A video of them eating at a dhaba also went viral.
Among their hideouts was a resort in Kognoli near the state border where they stayed between May 19 and 21. The booking was made under the name of Pritam Patil.
The duo was arrested on May 23 when they tried to flee from the Swargate area.
BONDED OVER HORSES
Among Hagawane's hobbies were driving expensive cars, and keeping foreign-bred dogs. He was also fond of horse breeding. He had a black horse.
It is being said that Patil, too, was into horse breeding, which is how he came in touch with Hagawane and their friendship grew.
First Published:
May 27, 2025, 19:50 IST
News cities Vaishnavi Hagawane Tortured Brutally Hours Before Death: The Link To Karnataka Ex-Minister's Son