Maharashtra Woman Cop First Helps Accident Victims, Later Steals Rs 50,000 From Their Bag

A woman police, who rushed to the aid of an injured motorcyclist on Pune-Mumbai Highway on Wednesday, succumbed to temptation and stole Rs 50,000 from the bag of the victim as she went to hospital to receive treatment for her injuries.

Pranita Nandakishore Bendre, an MBA student, was on her way to a bank on a motorcycle along with her father to deposit Rs 50,000 in cash when their two-wheeler collided with another motorcycle in front of Talegaon Dabhade Police Station, about 35km from here, on Pune-Mumbai Highway.

Pranita, her father and the other motorcyclist were injured in the accident.

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Swati Jadhav (32), who was present at the police station, rushed out to help, took them inside the police station and comforted them. She advised Pranita to keep her bag in the boot and go for treatment.

When Pranita returned in the evening, she found that the bag was missing from the dickey. Police then started a search for the bag and examined the CCTV footage to see if anybody had taken her bag.

The CCTV footage showed Jadhav surreptitiously taking away the bag. Confronted with the evidence, she confessed to the crime.

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Jadhav was arrested by the Pune rural police the same night after securing permission for her arrest from a magisterial court at Wadgaon Maval.

The court's permission was required in view of the Supreme Court guideline which prohibits a woman's arrest after dusk.

Talegaon Dabhade police assistant inspector Girish Dighavkar told TOI, "Our inspector (Mugutrao Patil) has forwarded a report to the Pune rural superintendent of police for action, including Jadhav's suspension."

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Dehu Road police division's deputy superintendent of police Govind Madgulkar told TOI, "We have recovered the bag containing Rs 50,000, bank pass book, Aadhar and Pan cards, among other documents, from the possession of Jadhav."

She was arrested under section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code.