Madhuri Mhaske (24) recently found Rs 2,000 at the spot where she had been attacked by chain snatchers on August 23. On that occasion, she was returning home to Dattawadi in Kurar village from her work spot at Oberoi Mall.
Three men attacked her and pushed her to the ground after grabbing her chain. Madhuri got up and managed to catch hold of one of them. She held him with one hand and dialled her friends with the other. Soon a huge crowd gathered and the culprit was handed over to police. All the three have now been arrested. And Madhuri got back her gold chain.
"I knew I had to teach them a lesson. If you let someone scare you, they will keep instilling fear in you. My face was swollen and my hand too was injured, but I managed to get up catch hold of one of them. The other two fled with my chain," said Madhuri who had faced a similar ordeal two years ago.
On that occasion she and her mother were returning from a wedding in an autorickshaw. They noticed a bike following them while on Pathanwadi bridge. "I knew something was amiss as the pillion rider kept looking into our auto. Suddenly he snatched my mother's mangalsutra and gold chain. We followed them and got the bike's number. We then informed the police, who nabbed them and got our jewellery back," she said.
She says she has inherited her nani's courage. Her nani always used tell her not to take harassment lying down. After her father left when she was just four, it was her nani who taught her everything about the world.
"She always said that if one is not wrong and still attacked, one shouldn't keep quiet. If it's not my fault, I will not accept it. When I was in 12th grade, I was walking to the station and a boy who was playing cricket deliberately hit the ball at me. He then asked me to give the ball back; I asked him to come and get it. When he came, I slapped him hard. He'll never forget it," said Madhuri, who was gifted a childrens' mattress by her friends so that the next time she falls that would act as a cushion.
She had to leave education to help her family, but would love to go back and learn.
"I want to be in the police force like Singham. I have sought the help of the policemen I am in touch, and have asked them to guide me. Once the examination process begins, they will tell me," she said.
Shrimant Shinde, police inspector at Kurar police station, was all praise for Madhuri. "Most women would be scared if attacked by three men. She fought back. Girls should take inspiration from her. It will be great if brave girls like Madhuri join the police force," said Shinde, who investigated the case.
Meanwhile, Madhuri donated the money she found to a nearby temple. She feels it's a message from god. "Why did I, of all the people, find money exactly at the same spot on the road! A divine force is guiding me. I'm a devotee of Ganpati Bappa, so I thanked him and donated it to his temple," she said.
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