Family and former colleagues of cop who killed his son tell the story of a disturbed man with a short fuse; so, why was he allowed to own a gun?
Accused Bhagwan Patil, (right) his deceased son, Vijay Patil
A day after he killed his son, former policeman Bhagwan Patil, 71, was worried about the damage to his car, which was hit by one of the bullets he fired. But, this is not the first time Patil’s violent behaviour has had fatal consequences. Five years ago, he shot a pet dog dead near his house for barking.
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CCTV footage shows Vijay Patil falling after being shot by Bhagwan Patil
Patil, a resident of sector 3, Airoli, has earned a bad reputation among neighbours and relatives owing to his temper and foul mouth. Retired from Vashi police station in 2008 as assistant sub inspector, Patil has always run into trouble with people.
“I was his friend for a long time, but because of his behaviour and foul mouth, nobody even dared to talk to him,” said one of his close friends on condition of anonymity. “His drinking habit and abusive nature have become a problem not just for outsiders but for his family too,” he added.
None of Patil’s three sons, Ajay, Vijay and Sujay, lived with him due to his nature. Some days ago, he had given his SUV for servicing to a garage but didn’t pay for it after getting the car back. The garage’s owner called Vijay informing him that his father has not paid Rs 12,000 for the servicing.
“Vijay called his father and asked why he kept behaving like this, why didn’t he pay the money. This resulted in a verbal spat between the two and Patil dared his son to come to his Airoli residence from Vasai,” said Raju Patil, former corporator and Patil’s brother-in-law.
Vijay went to Airoli and was talking to his mother, who was standing at the gate of the house. Patil came out of the house and fired four shots pointing at Vijay. Vijay was hit by two bullets, while another bullet grazed Sujay’s waist. Patil’s car was hit by one bullet.
“We went to meet him [Bhagwan] on Tuesday morning; he had no remorse for his actions. In fact, he asked whether his SUV was damaged by the bullet, if its glass is broken,” said Raju. “This is no shock to me as a couple of years ago, he pointed the same gun at me and threatened to kill me. He had killed one pet dog near his house when the dog barked at him,” Raju added.
After being shot, Vijay managed to walk a few steps with his brother and mother’s help
Sujay, who sustained injuries on his waist was discharged from the hospital while his mother Arti, who was present at the time of the incident, sustained minor injuries as Vijay fell on her. Vijay’s last rites were performed at Airoli Gaon crematorium on Tuesday evening. Rabale cops have arrested Patil under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of Arms Act.
Problematic past
In the incident where Patil killed the dog from his neighbourhood, no police case was filed. Two years ago, when he pointed a gun at Raju after a verbal spat and threatened to kill him, the matter did not reach the police as Arti asked for the issue to be settled mutually.
According to a relative of Patil’s, he had a drinking problem and anger issues during his service too. According to police records, he acquired a personal weapon in 1985 and its licence is valid till 2024. Patil also has a licenced 12 bore gun. The licences have been issued by Navi Mumbai police. The reason for getting the weapons is unknown. Cops suspect that Patil leveraged his profession to get the weapons.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Shivraj Patil, who has additional charge of Zone I, said, “According to our initial investigation, Patil had threatened to kill his family members in 2014-15. His weapon was confiscated by Rabale police at that time, but it was returned later. We are going through the papers to find out the circumstances under which he got it back.”
Rs 12k
Amount Bhagwan Patil owed the garage owner for his car’s servicing
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