In a case of mistaken identity, a 25-year-old woman was stabbed and grievously injured by a man, who mistook her for his wife. The man, who planned to kill her, had asked his estranged wife to meet him near Dadar station. However, a scarf worn by the victim made her resemble his wife.
The incident took place around 9 am near Swaminarayan Mandir in Dadar (east), just outside the railway station. Vijay Krishna Sanglekar (35) spotted the victim, Sonal Lapashiya (25) in a lane besides the mandir and attacked her face with a sickle in full public view. Sonal fell down and Sanglekar continued stabbing her a few more times. He then saw her face and immediately realised his folly and surrendered by throwing up his hands.
Deputy commissioner of police Datta Karale said that police officers from the nearby chowky rushed to the spot in a few minutes and held Sanglekar. Lapashiya was rushed to Sion Hospital and police officers informed her family about the incident. She was then transferred to Bombay Hospital at Marine Lines where she is now recuperating. Lapashiya comes from a well-to-do family in the city and is a third year Chartered Accountancy (CA) student. “Sanglekar has been arrested for attempt to murder and will be produced in court on Monday,” Mr Karale said.
A police official from Matunga police station said that Sanglekar realised he had attacked the wrong person when the scarf from her face came off after she collapsed.
“He told us he was angry at his wife for leaving him and had been convincing her to come back. She did not pay heed to his requests when he decided to kill her and called her to Dadar station,” said the official. Sanglekar hails from Sawantwadi taluka in Sindhudurg district. The couple had married in 2007 and has a four-year-old son, police said.
Sanglekar had planned to kill his wife on Sunday itself and had gone to Nallasopara to meet her on the same day. However, he dropped the plan for the day after seeing their son, said assistant commissioner of police Ravindra Khandagle, Matunga division. He had bought the sickle from a shop in Andheri the same day. He then asked his wife to meet him at Dadar on Monday morning.