Girl scolds youths for shoving, they slash her in return

A 20-year-old youth and his friend stabbed a college girl on both cheeks after they were involved in an altercation with her. According to cops, the girl had confronted both of them after they pushed her while she was walking on a street on Thursday. Angry with her for retaliating, the duo waited at the same spot yesterday and slashed her face with a blade.

The incident occurred when the 20-year-old victim, Mona Suresh Choudhary, was on her way to Dr Shirodkar High School and Junior College in Parel, where she is pursuing a vocational course.

Revenge crime: Prashant Hule (left) and his friend waited for Mona Choudhary with blades near her college, to avenge themselves

"The girl had an argument with the two of them on Thursday because when she was walking they nudged her, and then she abused them," said Vikram Patil, senior police inspector at Bhoiwada police station. After the spat, the youths returned yesterday, armed with a blade.

"When the girl alighted from a taxi at Dr Borges Road, one of them slashed her cheeks and nose, following which the girl shouted for help, alerting the locals who managed to get hold of one of them," said Patil.

The youth was identified as Prashant Laxman Hule, 20, a resident of Dharavi, and police are looking out for his accomplice who has been identified as Sunny. Cops said that Sunny had pushed the victim, after which the fracas had started.

Police suspect that the incident could also be a love affair gone wrong. "The girl has given us this version, and we have arrested Hule on the basis of that. But, in his statement, the boy says he is not aware of anything. We are searching for Sunny and moreover, the girl's father has told us she was being harassed by some youths for the past few days. Sunny's arrest will make it clear if it was a one sided affair," said Ashok Ugale, assistant police inspector at Bhoiwada police station.

Meanwhile, when Hule was brought to KEM Hospital for medical treatment yesterday, the girl's father, along with some other youths slapped him in front of the cops. "He deserved it, as he defaced my daughter, and now she will have to undergo plastic surgery to get rid of her marks," said the girl's father, who works with the BMC.

"We sutured the wound, as she had slits on both sides of her face. The injury to her left cheek is deep, but she is in a stable condition. She will undergo counselling later, as she needs complete rest now," said a doctor from KEM hospital.

The police stated that the girl is a resident of Diva, Thane, and the accused are Dharavi residents.u00a0