Manoj Patidar and Anjali Chandanao Manoj Patidar and Anjali Chandanao

A software engineer working with a prominent IT company allegedly shot dead his wife, a medical practitioner, at her clinic in Wakad on Wednesday night. The Wakad police arrested him around 2 am on Thursday. Police identified him as Manoj Patidar (40), who lives in a rented apartment in Ozone Spring Park in Wakad, and his wife as Anjali Manoj Patidar alias Anjali Chandanao (34). Her brother Amar Santram Chandanao (32), a software engineer residing in Lohegaon, lodged a complaint of murder at the Wakad police station.

READ | Accused had two more wives, both committed suicide; he used to harass my sister: Brother

Police said Anjali used to run ‘Mother Care Clinic’ from a rented place near her residence in Ozone Spring Park. A board on the clinic said she was an “obstetrician, gynaecologist and infertility specialist”. Police said she had married Manoj about five years ago and the couple have a two-year-old son, Prayag. The son was present in the clinic with her at the time of murder.

In his statement, Amar alleged Manoj had been harassing his wife and torturing her physically and mentally for the last two years over domestic disputes. He said Anjali needed money for her basic requirements as she was not earning enough from her clinic but Manoj would refuse to give her any. Hence, she used to borrow from Amar.

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Amar said he received a call from Anjali for help around 8 pm on Wednesday. She told him Manoj was harassing her for the last three days. Amar told her that they should file a police complaint. Anjali then cut the call, saying she would call back in 10 minutes. But after sometime, a person called Amar on his cellphone, informing him that Anjali was lying in a pool of blood. Amar then rushed to the spot and found Anjali had been murdered.

Meanwhile, a person from a nearby shop who had seen Anjali in an injured state too informed the police. Police said Manoj had also called his mother, who was visiting him from Madhya Pradesh and who had gone out at that time for a family function, to tell her that he had killed Anjali. After receiving Manoj’s call, she informed the police control room. The Wakad police team launched searches and nabbed Manoj from his car in Narhe as he was trying to flee.

Mother Care Clinic, which the doctor used to run Mother Care Clinic, which the doctor used to run

Police said Manoj shot his wife with a pistol around 9 pm. They said he did not have a gun licence and had purchased the pistol illegally about two years ago from Mohali. After the murder, he allegedly threw the pistol on a riverbed. Police had not recovered it till reports last came in.

Meanwhile, the Wakad police produced Manoj before a magistrate court in Pune. Police told the court that his custodial interrogation was needed to ascertain the motive. Also, a probe is on to find out from whom and how he procured the pistol and whether anybody helped him in the crime.

Anjali’s family claimed Manoj had married twice in the past and that both wives had died under mysterious circumstances. But police are yet to find the officials records of his past marriages. “As of now, we do not have any documents or evidence to confirm whether he was married in the past and that his former wives committed suicides,” said Assistant Police Inspector Machhindra Adling.

DCP (Crime) P R Patil said Manoj used a countrymade pistol for committing the murder. Police said Anjali was a native of Wardha, but was practising in Pune for some years, while Manoj was working in a senior position at TCS in Hinjewadi. Police said Manoj is a native of Madhya Pradesh and had been working in Pune for the past 12 years.

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