Woman who wanted to join Maharashtra Police dies by suicide; teacher arrested

A 25-year-old woman, Bhagyashri Bhaskar Bhandari, from Parner in Ahilyanagar district, was found dead by suicide on August 10, following alleged harassment by a teacher at the Sahyadri Academy in Junnar, Pune district, according to police. Bhandari had moved to Alephata to attend classes at the academy, which trains candidates for police recruitment exams.

The police registered a First Information Report at the Alephata police station following a complaint filed by Bhandari's sister, leading to the arrest of Mayur Ashok Dumbre, a teacher at the academy, on the same day on charges of abetment of suicide. Preliminary findings suggest that Bhandari was upset over the alleged harassment and insulting treatment by Dumbre. Chat messages between Bhandari and a friend allegedly revealed instances of such harassment.

During the investigation, the police recovered the chats between Bhandari and her friend, which pointed to the alleged harassment by Dumbre. Police Inspector Vishwas Jadhav said that they arrested Dumbre on August 10 based on these findings. Dumbre was remanded in police custody until August 14, and further investigation is ongoing.