Major Tragedy Averted in Pune as Farmer Attempts Petrol Bomb Attack on Cousin's House
The Dehu Road police in Pune registered a serious case on Sunday against a 62-year-old farmer, accusing him of attempting to set his cousin's house ablaze by hurling petrol bombs. This alarming incident unfolded in the early hours of Sunday at Dehugaon, while the 74-year-old complainant and his wife were sound asleep inside their residence.
Wife's Alertness Prevents Catastrophe
A potential disaster was narrowly avoided when the complainant's wife awoke and discovered petrol bombs that had been thrown inside their home. According to senior police inspector Vikram Bansode of the Dehu Road police, the accused was on the verge of lighting the petrol bombs with a torch when the woman raised a loud alarm, causing him to flee the scene immediately.
Root Cause: Longstanding Land Dispute
Police investigations reveal that the complainant and the accused are cousins embroiled in a bitter dispute over five gunthas of land in the Dehu Road area, which has persisted for several years. The officer explained that the accused had been pressuring his cousin, who owns educational institutions and farms, to vacate the plot, claiming it as ancestral property.
Detailed Account of the Attack
Inspector Bansode provided a detailed sequence of events:
- The accused arrived at his cousin's bungalow in the early hours of Sunday.
- He first smashed the dining room and kitchen windows by pelting stones.
- He then hurled five petrol bombs inside the house.
- As he was about to throw a lit torch to ignite the bombs, the complainant's wife spotted him and raised the alarm.
Legal Action and Police Investigation
Following the incident, the complainant formally lodged a police complaint. The Dehu Road police have registered a case under Sections 109, 324, and 326 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertain to abetment, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons, and grievous hurt by dangerous weapons, respectively. Inspector Bansode confirmed that the accused fled the city after the attack, and a search operation is currently underway to apprehend him.
This incident highlights the severe escalation of a familial land dispute into a potentially lethal criminal act, underscoring the importance of timely intervention and legal recourse in such conflicts.
