Mumbai, May 26 (Mid-Day): An estranged husband attacked his wife and her boss in broad daylight in Thane on Monday afternoon. Pradeep Keer (52) is a resident of Dadar, and a driver by profession. He and his wife Pooja (34) had filed for divorce at the Bandra Family Court in 2014, and were staying separately. Pooja stays in Andheri with her eight-year-old son and works as an accountant with a company at Andheri which handles construction machinery.

On Monday, Pooja, with her boss Manjit Anand (43), and four other colleagues, was heading towards a construction site in Bhiwandi in an SUV. At around 1 pm, they halted at a Vijaya Bank ATM at Ghodbunder Road in Thane to withdraw money.

Attack

Both Anand and Pooja were inside the ATM enclosure when Pradeep attacked his estranged wife with a knife, causing several injuries. Anand, who tried to intervene, was also attacked by Pradeep on his neck and shoulders.
Pradeep then tried to run away, but was nabbed by a few locals and handed over to the police. Anand and Pooja were taken to nearby Jupiter Hospital, where their condition is said to be stable. At this juncture, it’s not clear if Pradeep was stalking Pooja.

A police source said that the accused had attacked his estranged wife in order to gain custody of his son. A case has been registered under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), of the Indian Penal Code.

Cop speak

Sub-Inspector Vijay Takke from Kapurbawdi police station in Thane told mid-day, “There were disputes between husband and wife, for which they were fighting for divorce. The husband was trying to get custody of his son, which is also one of the reasons for the attack. Both Anand and Pooja are stable.”