Accused showed no remorse, asked for alcohol, say police

The Bhandup police said that accused Rupesh Jhingare did not repent setting his mother Nirmala ablaze when she refused to give him money to buy liquor.

The Bhandup police said that accused Rupesh Jhingare did not repent setting his mother Nirmala ablaze when she refused to give him money to buy liquor.

Rupesh, in his statement, told the police that he got angry as he suspected that his mother had money but refused to give it to him on purpose.

“We suspect Rupesh is not mentally fit. Even after the hue and cry around the incident and his subsequent arrest, he kept asking us for alcohol,” said assistant inspector A Sonawane from Bhandup police station.

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Another police officer, on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said: “Rupesh blamed his mother saying that she always fought with him. He does not seem to be regretting his actions.”

Nirmala suffered from poor health and could not move around easily, said the police. “Since Rupesh did not help her with the household work or secure a job to help the family financially, Nirmala would often get angry at him,” said the officer.

The fights between Rupesh and her became more frequent after her elder son and daughter got married and her husband, Tukaram, started working as a watchman.

So, when informed about the incident by their neighbours, Tukaram first rushed to the Bhandup police station to seek their assistance in solving the fight.