A 25-year-old woman preparing to join the Maharashtra Police allegedly died by suicide on August 10 in Pune district with police linking her death to alleged harassment by a teacher at a private coaching academy in Junnar, India.
The deceased, Bhagyashri Bhaskar Bhandari, was a resident of Parner in Ahilyanagar district. She had moved to Alephata in Junnar to prepare for police recruitment examinations at Sahyadri Academy, an institute that trains aspiring police candidates.
Bhandari was found dead at her residence in Alephata on August 10. Police said their preliminary investigation indicated that she had been distressed over alleged harassment and insulting treatment by Mayur Ashok Dumbre, a teacher at the academy.
Following a complaint from Bhandari’s sister, who is a government official, Alephata police registered a First Information Report against Dumbre for alleged abetment of suicide. The teacher was arrested the same day.
Investigators also recovered chat messages exchanged between Bhandari and a friend. Police said the conversations indicated that she had allegedly faced harassment from the accused. “During investigation, we found chats between the victim and her friend, which revealed that she faced harassment by the accused. So we arrested him on August 10,” Police Inspector Vishwas Jadhav said.
Dumbre was subsequently remanded in police custody until August 14 as the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Bhandari’s death continues. “Further investigation is underway,” Jadhav added.
