In Maha, police to recheck all abuse plaints over 3 years

Mumbai

A division of Maharashtra police has decided to revisit all complaints — including those made verbally — of abuse, assault or stalking, by women in the last three years, a decision taken in light of the murder of Shraddha Walkar, who had complained about her live-in partner to the Thane police months before she was killed by him.

The decision was taken by the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police, a commissionerate that covers the suburbs of Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai and Virar, including Naigaon and Nalasopara, in Maharashtra under a project called ‘Operation Punha Dhairya’. All complaints, including FIRs, written applications and even oral complaints made by women over the past three years, will be revisited and police will follow up with the victims.

Police commissioner Madhukar Pandey said the complainant in each of such cases over the past three years will approached individually, and will be asked if their complaint was actually resolved or persists.

“In several cases of marital disputes, abuse, stalking, police arrest the accused and counsel the victim/complainant and the perpetrator. Sometimes, police assume that the problem is solved. But even after police intervention, the problem persists,” said Pandey.

In November 23, 2020, Walkar had filed a written complaint to the Tulinj police against Aaftab Poonawala, which she later withdrew and, therefore, police did not investigate the matter. In her complaint, she said that Poonawala tried to kill her and she feared he would cut her into pieces and throw her away.

In May 2022, Poonawala strangled her and then chopped her body into several pieces inside their rented house.

The grisly crime was unearthed on November 12 last year after Poonawala ostensibly told the police that he murdered Walkar in their Chhattarpur flat six months ago, chopped her body into at least 35 pieces for over two days, stored them in a refrigerator for about three months, and dumped the body parts piece by piece.

It was during a fight on the evening of May 18, 2022, that Poonawala killed her.

According to Walkar’s father, had the police followed up on the case seriously, his daughter would have been alive.

“Many women say that even after serving a sentence, their husbands have returned and abused them more,” said Pandey, who added that with Operation Punha Dhairya, the victims who get ignored or suffer the same crime and are unable to report it, will get a voice and they will get justice.

These women would be asked for the status of their problem and if they convey that they are still being harassed or abused, police will take necessary action.