Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 26: In a major breakthrough in the rape and suicide case of a woman doctor from Maharashtra’s Satara district, police have arrested Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane, who surrendered at the Phaltan Police Station on Saturday evening.
Badane, who had been absconding since his suspension, stands accused of sexually assaulting the doctor multiple times and driving her to suicide. He is scheduled to be produced before a court on Sunday, officials confirmed.
Earlier in the day, police also arrested Prashant Bankar, the son of the deceased doctor’s landlord, on charges of mental harassment. Both Badane and Bankar were named in the doctor’s four-page suicide note and in a message written on her palm before her death.
The deceased, a government medical officer posted at the Phaltan sub-district hospital, was found hanging in a hotel room late Thursday night under suspicious circumstances. Originally from Beed district, the doctor’s death has sparked widespread outrage and demands for accountability.
In her note, the doctor alleged that Sub-Inspector Badane raped her four times, while Bankar continuously harassed her mentally. She also accused a Member of Parliament (MP) and his personal assistants of pressuring her to falsify medical reports for accused individuals in criminal cases.
Police confirmed that both primary accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Phaltan Police Station. Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi stated that a detailed investigation is underway into the rape, harassment, and alleged political interference mentioned in the note.
The suicide note further revealed that the doctor had faced physical and mental torture for over five months and had filed 21 complaints with various authorities, but no action was taken. In one instance, she wrote that she was threatened by an MP over the phone after refusing to issue a false medical certificate.
Her cousin later corroborated the claim, alleging that she had been repeatedly pressured to fabricate medical documents in politically sensitive cases.
Authorities have assured that the investigation will probe every angle, including possible administrative negligence and political influence, to ensure justice for the deceased doctor.