The Pimpri-Chinchwad police on Friday arrested Nilesh Chavan, an accused in the Vaishnavi Hagawane suicide case, from the Nepal border on May 30. Chavan was facing several serious charges, including threatening Vaishnavi's family, forcibly taking custody of her child. A lookout notice had been issued against him, and a property attachment notice was served on May 29. The next day, on May 30, Chavan was arrested at the Nepal border.
The police produced Chavan before a judge at the Shivajinagar District Court and sought police custody. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court remanded him to police custody till June 3. During the hearing, the public prosecutor presented several key points. Mobile phones belonging to Lata Hagawane and Karishma Hagawane, allegedly in Chavan’s possession, have been seized.
The prosecution said they want to investigate how Vaishnavi was mentally tortured and whether there was a conspiracy behind her suicide. They also questioned the authority under which Chavan kept Vaishnavi’s child, despite not being a legal guardian. Additional sections have been added to the FIR against Chavan. The prosecutor stated that Chavan had harassed Vaishnavi through Karishma, and they sought to recover a pistol reportedly in his possession. They also requested access to data from Chavan’s mobile phone. There is alleged post-suicide communication between Chavan and other members of the Hagawane family, which the police wish to investigate to determine Chavan’s role in the incident.
Also Read | Vaishnavi Hagawane Death Case: Fugitive Nilesh Chavan Arrested From Nepal Border.
Chavan’s lawyer argued that he had previously only faced a minor offence and was wrongly implicated in the current case due to his association with the Hagawane family, whom he was assisting. The defence also claimed that Chavan had cooperated with police in the investigation.
Following the suicide, Chavan travelled by private bus between Delhi and Gorakhpur on May 25. Technical surveillance and CCTV footage confirmed his movement. After tracking hundreds of CCTV cameras over two to three days, police found that he had crossed into Nepal. On May 30, Pimpri-Chinchwad police located him in Sonoli, Uttar Pradesh, near the Indo-Nepal border, and arrested him.