A 44-year-old BMC housekeeper allegedly committed suicide following “harassment” from his superiors. The deceased was identified as Subhash Sonavane, who was employed in the P ward. The cops have recovered a suicide letter, accusing Junior Overseer Jio Koten and an unnamed supervisor of seeking monetary favours in lieu of letting Sonavane rejoin duty after a month-long leave.
Details of tragic case
According to the Oshiwara police, the deceased lived in Anand Nagar, Jogeshwari West, and had taken leave to care for his ailing daughter, who suffered from a heart problem. The letter alleged that Koten took Rs10,000 from Sonavane in November 2023. When the latter tried to resume duty on January 10 this year, the accused and the supervisor didn't let him rejoin.
The letter
As per the letter, the deceased reported to work from January 10-18, but Koten and the other person sought Rs10,000 and Rs5,000, respectively, in lieu of not conducting his medical test. Owing to constant “harassment”, Sonavane allegedly hanged himself at his residence in the early morning of January 19. Later, the doctors at Cooper Hospital declared him dead.
The police found the suicide letter in Sonavane's clothes. He is survived by his wife, father, daughter (16) and son (19).
Based on his wife's complaint, offences have been filed against Koten and two unnamed persons under the Indian Penal Code sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (common intention), said senior Inspector Mohan Patil.
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