In a shocking incident in Pune, an intoxicated man attempted to set two police officers on fire by pouring petrol on them, an official said on Saturday. The man identified as Sanjay Salve (32), currently residing in Pimpri-Chinchwad and a native of Jalna, has been arrested in the case.
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Shailja Jankar, Assistant Police Inspector, Vishrambaug Police Station, who was one of the victims, said the incident took place around 6pm on Friday. Recounting the events, she said, "A man was seen driving recklessly at Budhwar Chowk. A traffic police official stopped him and noticed a strong odour of alcohol from his breath. He was brought to the Faraskhana office for a breath analyser test to check for alcohol consumption. He created a ruckus in the office and refused to blow in the breath analyser. He was then asked to wait on the side until he calmed down. In the meantime, he excused himself to get water and returned immediately with petrol and a lighter."
Jankar added, "Constable Sameer Sawant, who had asked him to blow in the breath analyser, was his first target. He was apparently enraged that Sawant was checking if he was drunk. In a fit of rage, he poured petrol on Sawant. I tried to intervene, and he poured petrol on me too. He was screaming, 'I will burn you.' Fortunately, the lighter was upside down and he was stopped from lighting it in time."
Deepali Bhujbal, Senior Police Inspector, Vishrambaug Police Station, stated that the accused has been booked under Sections 109 (Attempt to murder), 132 (Assaulting a public servant while discharging duty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 184 (Driving dangerously), 185 (Drunk driving) of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Meanwhile, officials from Vishrambaug Police Station are investigating where Salve obtained the petrol and lighter.
