Pune: Ex Serviceman Accused Of Wife’s Murder Found Hanging Days After Fleeing Home

Pune: An ex-serviceman accused of strangling his wife to death and attacking their 17-year-old son was found hanging from a tree near the Bhima river in Chandoli village on Wednesday, Khed police said. Mahendra Shivaji Daundkar, 45, had allegedly fled after the incident at his home in Rajgurunagar on Aug 30.

Police had formed teams to trace him after registering a case based on a complaint by his son, Atharva. Daundkar’s wife, Deepa Mahendra Daundkar, 40, was found unresponsive at their home after the alleged assault. She was taken to Chandoli Government Hospital, where doctors declared her dead, according to the complaint.

Son allegedly attacked after finding mother unresponsive

According to Atharva’s complaint, he had dinner with his parents around 9 pm on Aug 30 before going outside to meet a friend. At about 11.30 pm, he returned home after learning that his mother had made a missed call to his friend’s mother.

Daundkar allegedly told his son that Deepa had taken a tablet and gone to sleep and asked him not to disturb her. Atharva then went into the bedroom and found his mother unresponsive, the complaint states.

The complaint alleges that Atharva confronted his father after noticing marks on Deepa’s neck. Daundkar then allegedly attacked him and tried to strangle him with a dupatta.

Atharva allegedly escaped from the room, after which Daundkar picked up knives and threatened to attack him. Atharva sustained an injury to his right thumb while trying to defend himself, according to the complaint.

Relatives who arrived at the house allegedly tried to restrain Daundkar, who then escaped from the premises.

Police registered a case under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in connection with Deepa’s death. The allegations against Daundkar were yet to be established in court.

Body found during police search

Police teams were searching for Daundkar following the incident. His body was found hanging from a tree in Chandoli village along the Bhima river on Wednesday morning.

Khed police have registered an accidental-death case in connection with his death. The circumstances leading to his death are being investigated.

Police had earlier said Daundkar was allegedly angry with Deepa over her strained relationship with his sister. The complaint states that the issue had led to repeated disputes between the couple.

Daundkar had retired from the Army in 2019 and was subsequently working as a security guard for a private company in Vishrantwadi, according to police.