Navi Mumbai: Rasayani police searching for the Pune couple accused of abetment of suicide of a 32-year-old woman and her two kids who had allegedly jumped to death from their 11th floor apartment complex in Panvel taluka on Nov 2 night have seized the accused’s SUV from Mumbai as the couple had arrived in that vehicle at the complex and, barging into the apartment, threatened the woman in the presence of the kids as her husband had not repaid a Rs 2 lakh personal loan given to him.Abhijit Bhujbal, senior inspector of Rasayani said, “Two teams of Rasayani police station have been formed to trace the accused Vishwanath Desai from Pune and his spouse Akshara. One team is searching them in Pune and other team in Mumbai. However, they are untraceable as they have switched off their mobiles. A team of Raigad Local Crime Branch (LCB) is conducting a parallel probe.”The deceased woman was identified as Manasi Popete and her children Rudra (11) and Hansika (6). They resided on the 11th floor apartment rented by Manasi’s husband Machindra Popete (42), a real estate agent.Acting on a complaint by Machindra Popete, the Rasayani police, Raigad, had registered an FIR under BNS section for abetment of suicide against the accused Desai couple. The police have also invoked other criminal offences of house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault, or wrongful restraint, intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the public peace, aggravated criminal intimidation and joint criminal liability.Abhijit Bhujbal, senior inspector of Rasayani, said that the complainant Popete was not at home when his wife and two children jumped to death from their 11th floor apartment after being subjected to harassment by the Desai couple by threatening to recover Rs 2 lakh loan owed to them by Popete. Popete has provided to the police the mobile audio call recording of threats by the Desai couple.Desai said, “On Monday around 8.45 pm, the accused Desai couple went to Popete’s apartment to recover the personal loan. Manasi did not respond to doorbells as her husband was not at home when the Desai couple banged and kicked on the door and forced her to open the door. They forcibly entered the apartment and when they found that Machindra Popete was not at home, they hurled expletives and threatened Manasi in the presence of her children, who were visibly petrified. The Desai couple left the apartment after warning that they will visit again and asked Manasi to inform her husband to arrange repayment of his loan. Unable to bear the mental torture, harassment and hooliganism by Desai couple, Manasi, with her two children, jumped to death from their 11th floor apartment’s duct around 9 pm.”Bhujbal said, “The accused Vishwanath Desai has a criminal background as an FIR was registered against him at Rasayani police station on Feb 2 last year for the offence of voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation and intentional insult to provoke breach of peace.”Need help? Contact: MPower Mental Health Helpline 1800-120-820050 or Ankahee Foundation’s helpline number 86-554 86-966 (working only from 4 pm to 10 pm)
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