Pune: 25-Year-Old Police Recruitment Aspirant Dies By Suicide; Academy Teacher Arrested

Pune: A 25-year-old woman preparing for the Maharashtra Police recruitment examination allegedly died by suicide in Junnar on August 10 following alleged harassment by a teacher at a private coaching academy, police said.

The deceased, identified as Bhagyashri Bhaskar Bhandari, was a resident of Parner in Ahilyanagar district. She had shifted to Alephata in Junnar to attend classes at Sahyadri Academy, which provides coaching to candidates preparing for police recruitment examinations.

Following a complaint filed by Bhandari’s sister, who is a government employee, the Alephata police registered a case against Mayur Ashok Dumbre, a teacher at the academy. He was arrested on August 10 on charges of abetment of suicide.

According to the police, Bhandari was found dead at her residence in Alephata. Preliminary investigation suggests that she was distressed over alleged harassment and insulting treatment by Dumbre.

Police Inspector Vishwas Jadhav said investigators recovered chat messages exchanged between Bhandari and a friend. The messages allegedly indicated that she had been facing harassment from the accused.

“During the investigation, we found chats between the victim and her friend which revealed that she faced harassment by the accused,” Jadhav said.

Dumbre was produced before the court and remanded to police custody until August 14. Police said further investigation is underway to establish the circumstances leading to Bhandari’s death and examine the allegations against the accused.

The incident has raised concerns about the treatment of students and aspirants at private coaching institutes, particularly those living away from their families while preparing for competitive examinations.