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2 dead, 6 injured in violent rampage at Ahilyanagar old-age home; man arrested
The other six inmates of the home have been admitted to Ahilyanagar civil hospital. Their condition is stable, said police
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Two persons, including a security guard, were killed and six others injured after 55-year-old Raju Ghule, a resident of an Ahilyanagar old-age home, brutally attacked seven occupants and the guard with a metal-tipped walking stick early Saturday.
The sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Ahilyanagar (rural), Sirish Vamane, said that two of the victims–an 80-year-old resident of the old age home, Dattatray Harke and the 55-year-old security guard, Mahakaleshwar Hene–died on the spot.
“The other six inmates of the home have been admitted to Ahilyanagar civil hospital. Their condition is stable,” said Vamane.
The six injured include Santosh Pirangal, 48, of Pune; Babasaheb Ghadge, 78, of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar; Limbaraj Fiske, 80, Sahebrao Bhavar, 58, Ganesh Ghodke, 60, and Goraksha Phunde, 74, all residents of Ahilyanagar.
“Initially one of these six injured was admitted in the ICU of the civil hospital. But later in the day, he was shifted to the general ward,” said Vamane.
The Matoshree Vrudhashram, situated about 10 kms from Ahilyanagar city, was set up in 1995 and is run by a trust. It is registered with the state government. There are presently 30 occupants in the home–17 females and 13 males. The males and females reside in separate areas in the home.
The assistant police inspector of MIDC police, Hemant Thorat, said that Ghule has been arrested and his family who stay at Kopargaon taluka in that same district have been informed about the incident.
“Ghule has been staying in the old-age home for nearly a year. Our initial feedback is that he had a paralytic attack in the past and his hands and mouth used to tremble constantly. Some of the other male residents of the old age home used to taunt him constantly. This had infuriated him and had planned to teach them a lesson,” said Thorat.
At around 6 am on Saturday when other residents were asleep, he got up and started mercilessly beating them with the lower side of his walking stick that had an iron metal.
“The injured occupants told us they were fast asleep when they were attacked on heads and other parts of the body. Ghule was seething with rage. The two deceased sustained head injuries and died on the spot,” added Thorat.
Some of the panic-stricken male occupants managed to come out of the home and rushed to a nearby petrol pump where they narrated the incident. The petrol pump staff alerted the local police.
“When we arrived at the home by 6:30 am we saw that a part of the floor where the male occupants used to stay was soaked in blood,” police said.
The police have registered a first in information report (FIR) against Ghule under multiple sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including murder, intentionally causing hurt using dangerous instruments etc.
