Baramati suicide case: Two held for abetting suicide after promising job in military

Days after a 52-year-old teacher, who was debt-ridden after falling prey to the tactics of job racketeers and consumed poison, sleuths of Pune rural police arrested two people including the kingpin of the racket from Aurangabad yesterday.

The racketeers had promised Hanumant Mhaswadkar's (52) son and some other people from the area jobs in military engineering services and other defence establishments. Mhaswadkar collected Rs 65 lakh after pooling money of his own to pay them.

He consumed poison along with his wife and daughter in Baramati after the parents of the other children started demanding their money back.

While Mhaswadkar and his daughter Sandhyarani (17) died, his wife Lata, who was found in an unconscious state, was admitted to a private hospital where she is recuperating.

A case has been registered against Dattatrey Awantakar, Bhagyashree Bodke and one person named Kulkarni for offences under sections 420 (cheating), 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

Police said the family consumed poison at their residence at Amardeep Apartment in Suryanagari area of Baramati MIDC on Thursday night. The incident came to light after their son and some relatives found the three in an unconscious state when they went home later.

Superintendent of police, Manoj Lohiya of the Pune rural police said that the they had found a suicide note from the spot which said the family had given Rs 65 lakh to the accused who had promised their son and other children of jobs as clerks, storekeepers, and teachers at MES and DRDO.

"Meanwhile, the colleague Mhaswadkar had borrowed money from started pressuring him to return the money," said Lohiya.

Additional superintendent of police (Baramati division) Ravindra Pardeshi said that the main accused Awantakar claimed that he is reporter with a TV channel, however his claims are to be verified.

Army jawans held for taking bribe
Two army personnel have been arrested by the Anti-Corruption branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly demanding bribes worth Rs 1.5 lakh from a youth in exchange for sending his call letter to the Indian Army.

The arrested jawans, who are from Depot Battalion, Bombay Engineer Group and Centre (BEG&C), Khadki, have been identified as Naik Sachin Kadam (35) and Naik Sonu Kumar. A complaint was registered by J S Pawar, whose 19-year-old son had applied for the army and has given the written test.u00a0