Navi Mumbai: The Kharghar police have arrested two men, including a retired police officer, for allegedly assaulting dog feeders and outraging the modesty of a woman during a late-night altercation. The arrests came after the Palghar Sessions Court rejected their anticipatory bail application (ABA), citing the serious nature of the charges and the need for thorough investigation.
The incident occurred on the night of February 19, when the victim and her friend—both long-time residents of Palghar and active dog feeders—were out feeding stray dogs around 11:30 PM. According to the woman’s statement, the accused, identified as Vishnu Redkar, a retired police officer, and Ankit Suri, confronted the duo and demanded that they stop feeding the dogs.
The verbal altercation suddenly had escalated into an alleged physical assault. The man dog feeder was reportedly assaulted brutally by both accused. The situation further intensified when the woman, who was recording the incident on her phone, was allegedly attacked by the duo. In an attempt to snatch her phone and delete the video, the accused reportedly allegedly manhandled her, thereby outraging her modesty.
Despite the assault, the woman managed to escape and contacted her friend. They later contacted the police, and an FIR was promptly registered at Kharghar police station.
Anticipating arrest, the accused had filed for anticipatory bail in the Panvel court in February and were granted interim protection from arrest. However, after hearing arguments from both sides, the court dismissed their plea. Subsequently, both Redkar and Suri were taken into custody on April 21.
The Panvel court while rejecting their ABA held, “ The grounds for bail in the event of arrest are not well founded. The accused/applicants do not deserve for pre-arrest bail.”
The accused have been booked under multiple serious charges, including assault, criminal intimidation, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, and outraging the modesty of a woman under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The duo accused have now filed for bail , which is scheduled for hearing this Friday.
