Pimpri | In a major breakthrough in the Vaishnavi Hagavane suicide case, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police have arrested the prime accused Nilesh Chavan near the Nepal border. Chavan, who had been absconding for the past several days, was tracked and nabbed after an intensive manhunt. The police had deployed five special teams to trace his movements and succeeded in arresting him during the early hours of Thursday.
Nilesh Chavan’s name had repeatedly surfaced during the investigation into Vaishnavi’s death, with her family alleging that he played a key role in mentally harassing and abetting her suicide. While Vaishnavi’s husband Shashank Hagavane, mother-in-law Lata Hagavane, and sister-in-law Karishma Hagavane are already in custody, Chavan had remained at large.
To evade arrest, Chavan had turned off his phone and other electronic devices, trying to stay off the radar. However, the police teams, through technical surveillance, CCTV footage analysis, and informant inputs, managed to track his location to the Indo-Nepal border. He was arrested and is now being brought back to Pimpri-Chinchwad for further legal proceedings.
Chavan is now booked under charges of abetment to suicide, issuing threats, and causing psychological distress. In addition, another case has been registered against him at the Warje Police Station for allegedly mistreating Vaishnavi’s nine-month-old child. According to the complaint, when Vaishnavi’s maternal family went to retrieve the child from Chavan’s residence in Karvenagar on May 20, he allegedly threatened them with a pistol and refused to hand over the baby.
Vaishnavi’s uncle Manoj Kasapte filed a complaint stating that Chavan illegally detained the infant and created a climate of fear. Consequently, the police registered a case under sections related to criminal intimidation and unlawful confinement.
Chavan is also known to be a close associate of Karishma Hagavane, Vaishnavi’s sister-in-law. Furthermore, in 2022, his wife filed a harassment complaint against him, accusing him of secretly recording obscene videos using spy cameras.
The search for Chavan extended beyond Maharashtra. Four police teams from Pimpri-Chinchwad and three teams from Pune Police had been deployed across multiple states to track him down. His eventual arrest near the Nepal border marks a significant development in the case that has shocked the state.
With Chavan now in custody, the police hope to unravel more details surrounding the mental and emotional trauma that led Vaishnavi to take the extreme step. The Kasapte family has expressed hope that justice will finally be delivered.
