Mumbai: 'Wanted woman' thrashes Police Inspector inside his cabin

Illustration/Ravi Jadhav

Normally, common citizens are always on model behaviour when they have to visit a police station for some work or the other. But a 42-year-old woman, who claims to be a model, gave the phrase a whole different meaning when she assaulted the senior inspector of Amboli police station and pinned him down, while his fellow male personnel watched horror-struck. She even allegedly clawed at women constables who tried to intervene, injuring a couple of them.

The accused, Reshma Malik, 42, claimed to be a model, but wasn't exactly a model of good behaviour. Police stations across the western suburbs dreaded a visit from the woman, who was notorious for getting abusive and aggressive towards cops. "On December 8, she had come to meet Amboli's Senior Inspector Bharat Gaikwad to discuss a civil matter. We always send women officers to accompany female visitors into the senior inspector's cabin. This time, we sent two women constables to accompany her inside Gaikwad's cabin, since we knew Malik's temperament," a police source told mid-day. "Malik's tone is abusive and she generally slips into arguments quickly," said the officer.

Accused, Reshma Malik (in purple), grabbed Sr PI Bharat Gaikwad (right) by his hair

Fighting tooth and nail
The cops did not reveal what civil dispute Malik had brought to the police station, but the source added, "Gaikwad told Malik that the police never intervene in civil matters. This upset Malik, who first started to abuse and then threatened Gaikwad. She then pounced on him, grabbed him by his collar and hair, and pinned him down." Women Police Constables (WPC) Maya Waghmare and Yogita Bacchav jumped to rescue their chief, but Malik fought back. Hearing the commotion from Gaikwad's cabin, other officers rushed there but were dumbfounded.

"Malik had grabbed the hair from Gaikwad's head and one of the female cops too. She was screaming at the top of her voice, abusing all the officers. She also threatened us not to intervene," said an officer. The male officers did not dare to step in; they asked their female counterparts to help Gaikwad, and three more WPCs rushed in. It took all five women cops to pull Malik off Gaikwad. Sources said the high-voltage drama went on for nearly 25 minutes, before the policewomen overpowered Malik. "In the melee, two women constables also got injured. Malik had scratched their hands with her nails," the source added. Bharat Gaikwad, senior inspector, confirmed, "She [Malik] seems to be mentally unsound. A number of cases are registered against her at different police stations in the western suburbs."

Senior inspector Bharat Gaikwad

Runaway model
Later, the police took her to the Jogeshwari Trauma centre to conduct her medical check-up, and even then, Malik refused to co-operate. There, too, she allegedly abused and threatened to slap a case on the doctors if they conducted the check-up. "It was already evening by then, so we couldn't detain Malik, as she is a woman. The moment we let her go, she disappeared from the hospital," said a cop. The cops then went to Oshiwara police station to register a case against Malik, as Amboli police station falls under the jurisdiction of the Oshiwara police. Shailesh Pasalwad, senior inspector of Oshiwara police station, said, "A case has been registered under Sections 353, 332, 323, 504 and 506 [intentional insult, battery and assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty] of the IPC." The Oshiwara police formed two teams of officers, but Malik is yet to be arrested.

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