Pune, Maharashtra (May 28, 2025): Five men who were earlier arrested for helping the accused in the Vaishnavi Hagwane suicide case have been granted bail by a Pune court. They were released on a bond of Rs 25,000 each. Vaishnavi Hagwane, 23, died by suicide on May 16 at Bhukum village in Mulshi taluka. A case was registered at Bavdhan police station the next day. After the case was filed, her father-in-law Rajendra Hagwane and brother-in-law Sushil Hagwane fled.
According to police, the duo received help from several people to escape. During the escape, they changed vehicles multiple times and took shelter at farmhouses and lodges. Investigations revealed that they were given both financial and logistical support, which helped them avoid arrest for seven days.
They were eventually arrested from Swargate in Pune. During interrogation, it was found that they had stayed in Wadgaon Maval, Lonavala, Satara and near the Maharashtra-Karnataka border.
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Police later arrested five individuals for allegedly helping the Hagwanes during their escape. The arrested accused include Pritam Veerkumar Patil, Mohan alias Bandu Uttam Bhegde, Bandu Laxman Phatak, Amol Vijay Jadhav and Rahul Dashrath Jadhav. All five had political or local influence.
Pritam Patil is the son of former Karnataka energy minister Veerkumar Patil, who served as a Congress MLA for 28 years. Bandu Phatak is the former sarpanch of Shiroli Chandoli village in Mulshi. Bhegde is a former BJP member and ex-president of the party’s Vadgaon Maval unit. His wife is a former member of the district council.
Amol and Rahul Jadhav are farmers from Pusegaon. The Hagwanes had reportedly sent their bulls to their farm for care.
Initially, police sought custody of the five accused, but the court denied the request. The court ruled that the offence was bailable and sent them to judicial custody. They have now been released on bail.