On June 16, 2008, Pune witnessed the grisly murder of general practitioner Dr Vijay Ramchandra Ghaisas (68), a resident of the serene vicinities of Prabhat Road.
On June 16, 2008, Pune witnessed the grisly murder of general practitioner Dr Vijay Ramchandra Ghaisas (68), a resident of the serene vicinities of Prabhat Road. A week after the murder, the police arrested two of the three culprits. The police claimed that Ghaisas was killed for gain, but the murder highlighted the serious issue of the safety of senior citizens in the city, once known as a ‘pensioners’ paradise.’
The incident
The Ghaisas lived in his two-storeyed bungalow in upmarket Tarate Colony. Vithabai Ghotal, who worked as domestic help at Ghaisas residence for several years, went to Ghaisas bungalow to work around 9 am on the fateful day. No response to the doorbell prompted Vithabai to explore the rear entrance of the bungalow which she found open. She walked in to find Ghaisas lying dead in a pool of blood. Such was the savageness of the killers that Ghaisas bore 48 stab wounds on his stomach and face.
A week after the murder, the police arrested two people, one of them being Vithabai’s grandson. In due course of time, the police submitted the chargesheet against the arrested people in the district court.
Both were acquitted by the court for want of evidence last year.
The history
The incident brought back the memories of Joshi-Abhyankar serial murders which had rocked the city in the 1970s. More so because just a few months prior to Ghaisas murder, 70-year-old Shalini Uddhav Jadhav of Purple Castle Society in Bibvewadi had also been murdered in a similar manner and her killer was at large.
What followed
Following a hue and cry from all cross section of society in the city, the police were prompted to launch a helpline for senior citizens. The helpline – 020-26111103 – is still functional.
The police also launched a scheme wherein police personnel from various police stations were to periodically pay visits to senior citizens living alone in the city and check on their well-being.
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