Special Correspondent
Pune: Nilesh Chavan, the prime suspect in the Vaishnavi Hagavane death case, was finally arrested all because of one critical mistake during his escape: taking his girlfriend along under the pretext of going on a trip. This misstep allowed the police to track him down.
Chavan used his girlfriend’s mobile phone to make a call to a specific number already under police surveillance. Once investigators noticed the activity from her number, they began tracking her movements. This led to the discovery that both Nilesh and his girlfriend were in Delhi.
Sensing the pressure, Chavan attempted to dodge the police by boarding a private bus from Delhi to Gorakhpur, while his girlfriend returned to Pune. She was detained by Pimpri-Chinchwad police for questioning. Upon interrogation, her direct involvement in the crime was ruled out, and she was released.
However, during questioning, she revealed crucial information about the private bus Nilesh had taken to Gorakhpur. This turned out to be a vital lead. Acting swiftly, a police team set up a trap in Gorakhpur and successfully arrested Nilesh Chavan.
Following his arrest, he was remanded to police custody until June 3. Bavdhan police searched his house thoroughly for over an hour and seized three mobile phones belonging to Shashank, Lata, and Karishma Hagavane, along with other electronic gadgets.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Chavan avoided online transactions and carried lakhs of rupees in cash to avoid being traced digitally. He had also kept 4–5 mobile phones and SIM cards with him. In Nepal, he purchased an additional local SIM card and used different numbers for different contacts. He avoided regular calls and instead used online calling apps to speak to people, including his lawyers, while seeking anticipatory bail.
