Attack on Malad BPO employee: 2 years on, boyfriend acquitted

Amey Rajesh Darekar acquitted of attempted murder after girlfriend Priyangi Singh fell from a water tank; no evidence of assault found.

MUMBAI: Was she pushed or did she slip? It’s a question that lingered long after Amey Rajesh Darekar was arrested for allegedly pushing his girlfriend, Priyangi Singh, off a water tank of a high-rise in Dahisar.

The Dindoshi sessions court acquitted Amey Rajesh Darekar, who had been charged under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code for attempt to murder. (Pexel)

On Thursday, 26 months after his arrest, the Dindoshi sessions court acquitted Amey, who had been charged under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code for attempt to murder. Now aged 27, Amey was acquitted after additional sessions judge DG Dhoble refused to accept the prosecution case.

Reacting to the verdict, Priyangi’s father Munish Singh said they would not contest the judgement and merely wanted to get on with their lives, while a relative of Amey said the family was pleased with the judgement. He said the family had “gone through agony” during the last two years.

The incident took place on November 12, 2022, when Priyangi, then aged 23 and working in a BPO in Malad, met Amey after work. They spent the night on the terrace of a Dahisar building, La- Belleza, where Amey’s friend, Devesh Laad lived. That night, the three of them had several rounds of drinks, and Devesh eventually left the couple at around 2.30 am.

According to the police, Priyangi and Amey allegedly got into a fight. When Amey woke up a few hours later, he claimed he found Priyangi having fallen off the 18-foot-high water tank. He claimed he had no recollection of why she was lying on the ground as they were both inebriated when the incident took place.

Early on November 13, Amey took Priyangi to his home in Borivali, after which Amey’s mother Radhika dropped her off at her house in Dindoshi. Priyangi’s parents had stepped out for a morning walk.

When they returned home, they found their daughter unconscious and injured, and admitted her to hospital. Priyangi’s father Munish Singh then approached the Dindoshi police and, based on his complaint, a case of attempt to murder was registered against Amey.

The case was transferred to the Dahisar police, as the incident had taken place in their jurisdiction, and Amey was arrested on November 16. In his complaint, Priyangi’s father had alleged that Amey had beaten his daughter and pushed her off the water tank.

Priyangi’s father later also raised questions about the investigation, saying his daughter’s life had been ruined by Amey and his mother. He alleged that Amey and his mother had beaten up Priyangi and attempted to kill her after a fight on the terrace.

In her deposition before the sessions court, Priyangi said she too had no recollection of whether she had been pushed or had lost her footing after climbing the water tank. She said she remembered the time she had spent with Amey in the evening, and that they later went to his friend’s place and drank on the terrace. Priyangi said that after Devesh left them on the terrace, she and Amey were talking about something but did not remember what happened thereafter and how she fell off the water tank.

“I woke up directly in the hospital,” Priyangi had said. She said she had fractured her spinal cord, nose and two bones in her right ear. She also said he had received multiple injuries to one of her legs and brain, but did not know how she had sustained the injuries. Priyangi was hospitalised for 10 months, and was discharged only in September 2023.

In her cross-examination, Priyangi maintained that she was on good terms with the accused till that day, adding that he had not hurt her at any point.

The cross examination of Ram Pote, attached to the Dahisar police station, by his lawyer, advocate Arun Jadhav, revealed that the police did not find any evidence to support the allegation that Amey had assaulted and pushed Priyangi off the water tank.

The police had initially named Amey’s mother, Radhika Darekar, as an accused in the case, but later dropped her name from the chargesheet, which was filed in February 2023.