Woman to ensure stalker is punished

Shraddha Langde, a 23-year-old homemaker who was attacked by a stalker on Tuesday and is recovering from burn injuries in a hospital, is not afraid and is determined to see that her attacker is punished, said her husband Shashikant.

Shraddha Langde, a 23-year-old homemaker who was attacked by a stalker on Tuesday and is recovering from burn injuries in a hospital, is not afraid and is determined to see that her attacker is punished, said her husband Shashikant.

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Sachin Shigwan, 29, had been stalking Shraddha for the past four months. He was arrested on charges of attempt to murder after he burned the faces of Shraddha and her neighbour Minal Zamin, 36, in a chawl in Kandivli, where they all live.

“Even after this whole episode, Shraddha is not scared. She says she will pursue the case till the end and make sure Sachin gets the punishment he deserves so that no other woman faces the trauma that she has,” said Shashikant, a driver. Shraddha and Minal’s condition is stable and they are recovering at DNA hospital in Kandivli.

Sachin told the police, on Wednesday, that he had attacked Shraddha because her husband had slapped him in front of everyone for his misbehaviour.

“Sachin has been remanded in police custody for five days after he was produced before a magistrate’s court on Wednesday. He said he committed the crime as Shashikant would often reprimand him. On December 9, Shashikant slapped him twice which angered him,” said an official from the Samta Nagar police.

Sachin planned the attack on December 9 and bought insecticide from a nearby store. He sprayed the insecticide at Shraddha and lit it. It burst into flames and burned her hair and back. Minal’s face and hands were burned when she tried to save Shraddha.

“On Valentine’s Day last year, Sachin proposed to Shraddha but she did not reciprocate, which frustrated him,” said the official. Police have sent Sachin and Shraddha’s mobile phones to extract call data to establish motive.